STRINGS // KATSUKI BAKUGO [2]

Chapter 74 // Easy

Your funeral was long. Those in attendance varied from close friends and family to local citizens who simply wanted to pay tribute to you.

Bakugo didn't know if it felt long due to the crowd or due to his emotions. Either way, he felt oddly relieved when your casket was finally lowered into the crowd. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stare at the polished box hiding your corpse without breaking down.

He tore his eyes away from the scene as soon as dirt began to pile on top of your coffin, spinning around so quickly that he nearly knocked into the boy standing behind him.

"Hi..." Shinso trailed off, clearly uncertain with his own actions as his eyes bounced from place to place.

Bakugo didn't reply verbally, not trusting his own voice to hold strong even with a simple greeting.

He observed Shinso's face, which was as tear-stained as his. The two of them may have been very different people in theory, but they were the very same at the moment, both teary-eyed with puffy cheeks and trembling lips.

"I know you don't do friends," Shinso continued quietly, fingers fiddling with the hem of his blazer, "but [Y/N]...left thinking we didn't despise each other, so I'd hate to go the rest of our lives carrying out the one image she'd hate to see."

Bakugo huffed through his nose, straightening his slouched posture, which resulted in his neck cracking uncomfortably.

"I don't...I never hated you," the blond confessed, resisting the urge to hide his shaking hands in his pockets. You'd tell him it was unprofessional. "I don't think I've ever hated anyone. I think I just...hated myself," he glanced over his shoulder at your grave. "She changed that."

"She changed a lot," Shinso replied. "She changed everything, everyone. I don't think half of us would be here, would be how we are, without her."

"I sure as hell wouldn't," Bakugo scoffed quietly, finally looking the lilac haired boy in the eyes. "She was proud of you, Shinso."

His purple eyes hit the ground, an unsure frown crawling onto his face as if he disagreed with the blond's statement.

"Her first damn concern when she was asked to transfer courses was if you'd be coming with her," Bakugo continued, causing Shinso to life his head as a hopeful gleam returned to his eyes. "I know the two of you had some stuff goin' on, but that never changed the fact that she loved you, and she was proud of you."

"I know. I just..." Shinso trailed off, peering over the blond's shoulder at your grave with damp eyes. "I didn't think it'd hurt this much. I mean, we knew. We've been preparing, but it still feels like it came out of nowhere, like it was too soon."

"It was always going to be too soon," Bakugo responded, teeth digging into his bottom lip as his eyes began to burn once again. "She didn't deserve the shit that happened to her, but she still went on saying she wouldn't have changed a thing."

"She's never really been scared of dying," Shinso stated, wiping his eyes with the back of his left hand. "At least, after her mom died, she didn't fear death anymore because she knew she had something waiting for her on the other side. She feared forgetting you more than she did her own heart stopping."

"I think I did too at some point," Bakugo admitted. "The first time she forgot me, the first time she looked at me as if I was a stranger, it felt like I was the one dying, but every day she remembered, it gave me hope. I think that's why it hurt so much more when she...when it happened. I knew, but I never accepted it."

"I don't think either, accepting or denying, would've made it any easier," Shinso shook his head. "Hm, nothing has ever been easy with [Y/N]. That is, expect loving her."

"Yeah," Bakugo exhaled, turning back around to face your grave. "Loving her was the easiest thing I've ever done.

Shinso stepped up beside the blond, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. Bakugo didn't shake it off.

Instead, he cried. He let his tears fall freely, not bothering to wipe them away as he knew they'd only be replaced with more shortly after.

Bakugo was glad it wasn't raining during your funeral, so everyone could see the tears he wasn't afraid to shed for you.

[EDITED]