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

56

Last chapter!! I hope I did this story justice, but I'll leave that for you guys to decide <3

After drying my tears, Yukio hugged me again. He was clingy after my meltdowns, and I was thankful for it because I knew I wouldn't be able to seek it out myself, even if I desperately needed it. Once we broke apart, he moved to the bathroom, retrieving the same first-aid kit Bon used last night. I knew what was to come, so I immediately pulled my shirt over my head and began unwinding the soiled gauze around my wrists. Yukio returned when I was taking off the last of the bandage on my bicep. His eyes trailed the fresh wounds and scar, his face unreadable as a myriad of emotions flashed by far too quickly for me to understand. He set the kit down on the bed, moving to sit next to me. Hesitantly, he reached out and grabbed my left hand, pulling it closer to assess the new marks.

There were over a dozen lines scattered over older silver scars, mild irritation rimmed each cut with pink and the wounds were still too young for any granulated tissue to block the damage. He flipped my arm over to look at the cuts that now marred the top of my forearm. It was once clean of marks, but would forever hold onto what transpired less than twelve hours before. He seemed just as bitter about that fact as I was, possibly even more. His lips pressed together slightly before he flipped my wrist again to look at the gnarled scar.

It was similar to my suicide attempt, starting in the same spot, but with how violent the blade had dug through my flesh, it ended at a different one — closer to the middle of my elbow. Since I'd closed it using my regeneration ability, it was now a deep purple. bruising was smattered around the edges where the artery had been severed. Obviously, my attempt to close the vessel had been messy and lacked the precision of a trained professional. Even the scar was rough, healed awkwardly like a keloid in several spots whereas others didn't heal at all — leaving the wound wide open in areas, the glossy tissue underneath a sight better suited for the emergency room and clearly not meant to be shared between two brothers on a Wednesday morning.

"What time did you do this around?" He breathed out, his shock evident in his airy tone.

I bit down on my lip, but released my hold when I recalled what had happened when I'd done so the night prior. "I'm not sure exactly when I did it. But I called Bon sometime after midnight."

He nodded, his gaze flickering up to the clock before pondering for a moment. Coming to a decision, he moved to the container next to us, rifling through it. "It's been less than twelve hours so it should be okay to stitch them."

My lips twitched with the beginnings of a grimace. "I thought you didn't want to do that because the skin could grow over them?"

I watched nervously as he brought out a small plastic bag of thread and another one containing a sterile needle. My audible gulp was enough to key him into my tension and he offered me a confused glance. His next words held a bit of mirth, "What? You can cut through sinew but pale at the thought of sutures?"

I laughed nervously, "I don't know, it's different, somehow."

He didn't question it, instead moving to snap on a pair of gloves and preparing his work station. I made the wise decision to avert my gaze across the room, not able to stomach the sight at the moment. Warm nitrile brushed my skin and I did my best not to shudder. Yukio mumbled reassurances as he began, the sharp poke of a needle burning my already wounded flesh. I focused on my breathing, counting them in my head as opposed to counting the amount of times I was stuck.

I let out a relieved sigh when he finished, finally casting my eyes down to see the small knots that held my skin together. There were only a few, in the areas that needed it most. "It's not pretty," my twin muttered. "And it probably won't scar normally, but at least an infection is less of a risk this way."