The Wise Child (BNHA x OC)

27. A Man Like That

Megumi

"You were wrong."

I stared at Yae. She looked so young, and so old too. Like a child who'd lived through the burdens only an adult should. And then I heard her. It was hard to explain what I felt, knowing how she was. What she saw herself as. The demon in the mirror that only she could look at.

And then, finally, I thought of the time, of the tear stains on her face, the backpack on her back, and the pure dread in the crease of her brows as she held back tears.

"Oh my goodness, sweetheart, what happened?"

At the mere acknowledgment of her state, she crumbled into a mess of sobs. I quickly moved aside, allowing her into my home. She hesitated, only barely making her legs move.

God, what was I meant to do? After all these years, I was still useless with emotions.

Taking a deep breath I remembered the phrase that had been so thoroughly thought I didn't need to think it.

Do what Hana would have done.

"I'll go heat you up some cookies, go sit down on the couch, I'll be right with you." My voice came out calm, collected. Right, that was right. There wasn't enough room for two people to be scared and crying. But well, Yae didn't cry. At least not around me.

What could have happened?

Shaking my head, I moved to the kitchen, placing a large number of cookies in the oven, glad it was the high tech one Entraptor insisted on getting, and taking a moment to breathe, hoping to calm my worries, before coming back to her room.

Yae was staring out the window, shaking like an aspen leaf, eyes unfocussed. Oh how lost she seemed. No, not lost, trapped. Consumed by her mind.

I moved towards the edge of a chair where I had a blanket messily placed, unfurling the crocheted pattern and gently placing it over Yae's shoulders. She stiffened when I came near, of course she did. She always did.

"Remember to breathe."

Her eyes turned on me, glassy, and blank. Her face was void of emotion, lips drawn in a line and tipped down at the ends.

"Count with me?" I asked, it was the best I could think to do.

She blinked, but then, slowly, she nodded.

"Breathe in," I ordered, and she did. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven." I counted down, watching as her shoulders tensed, her shaking continuing. "Now hold that breath. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven." She went stiff, eyes closing painfully. "Now let go. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven."Her shoulders slackened, only slightly, and she released a long breath of air from her mouth. But only after a few seconds she began shaking again.

"Do it again. For me. Okay?"

She nodded, keeping her eyes closed, holding another breath. I sat with her through four more before the timer sang from the other room.

"I'll be right back, don't worry. Cookies are the answer to everything."

I gave a small smile, hoping she would share it, but she only nodded her head, and I knew she was counting in her mind.

I hustled around the kitchen as fast as I could, pulling out my favorite plate, a little yellow duck in a pond painted on it, and moving the cookies atop it. I moved so fast I nearly forgot the milk, but corrected myself before making my way back to her.

Setting the hot treats down on the table, I watched as she stared at them, lines on her forehead from a grief I didn't fully understand.

"Why are you doing this for me?"