𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗡'𝗦 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬! ━━━━ mao isara (on hold)

17. matter (yumao)

ᡣ𐭩 . no au | angst

Blood dripped like the seconds counting down from a clock. Each drip splattered with a stain of red of an infinite amount of reminders to his thoughts.

The pain Mao brought to himself stung like a thousand wasps buzzing around in spring for hunger and need.

He lightly dabs at the wounds he caused himself. Deep and full, reminding him of the ocean he has visited during his nightly walks away from Yumenosaki's campus grounds. Sometimes by himself, sometimes Kanata from Ryuseitai would come with him and relax down together.

Small hisses from the pain whispered with a sharp hush causing memories of fear as to why he rarely touched anything so sharp, but in a time like this, he pleaded for it like as though it was his lifeline.

"Isara...?"

A voice echoed in front of him. From glancing down at his arms and ahead of his point of view, he notices a familiar figure. Yuta Aoi - what was he doing here? How... even?

He knocks his head to the side, looking past Yuta's figure, noticing the door to the abandoned practice room he decided to hide himself in during the hours past school events was wide open. Did he not lock it like he thought he would?

"Is that blood on your arms?!" The younger Aoi twin whimpered, his eyes widening once noticing the distorted lines freshly made across Mao's fair Mao. The said male kneels down in front of Isara, inspecting over each and every cut.

Mao kept his mouth shut, both with words and with hesitancy by gritting his teeth from the simply made intense pain that was brought up even at the lightest touch of Yuta's thorough inspection.

The younger Aoi twin brings his hands away, a frown creases his facial expression, his eyes casting up to meet with Mao's once more. The glance he gave the beaujolais Trickstar member cracked with fear and heartbreak.

"Why would you..." he goes to say, only to stop himself from thinking any further as Yuta bolted up into a standing position from where he was, his eyes darting around the empty room hoping to find what he wished for.

Once found, he sighs loudly of relief and dashed to one corner at the other side from where Mao was still sitting silently, stunned and unsure with what to do with himself - stuck in his thoughts from being caught in such a terrifying and unexpected action made by himself.

Seconds after and Yuta Aoi skids in front of him, kneeling down once more - a towel - small and slightly worn but thankfully fresh and clean - now in his right hold. The Aoi twin dabs the towel onto Mao's arms gently.

Mao still wasn't sure what to do. For the countless times he's gone through these fearful acts, he never once thought about the outcomes of being caught in the matters.

"Please don't do this again, Isara." Yuta suddenly whispered, his heart racing in confusion of Mao's unwanted silence. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.

"You don't deserve this pain... how long have you hidden it for?"

"Does it really matter?" Mao's voice was a tone of defeat, something that Yuta Aoi wished never to hear from the Trickstar member. The mask Mao had hidden himself behind for so long has fallen from its lace.

"Of course it matters - you matter!" Yuta hiccups.

Mao bows his head down after the intense words spoken from the other. Oddly, they felt so unfamiliar to him. Words he wasn't used to hearing, being praised for something other than being an independent individual or for taking care of others countless of times... although, weren't those moments the only times he mattered?

He was the world's pawn, ready to carry the whole globe on his back for the sake of helping others to push themselves into a great future they deserved.

He halfly wasn't sure whether to believe the other of his words.

"You matter, so much... to me, especially."

All of a sudden, Mao felt Yuta's arms wrap around his figure, reeling him into Yuta's figure, his head being nudged to the side on the Aoi twins' shoulder.

A shuddering breath leaves between the small gap of his lips.

Yuta's touch - gentle and warm, unexpected but needed. He's been hugged by a few others of his friends and schoolmates alike. Subaru, Chiaki, Keito, even. But there was something about Yuta's touch that caused himself to cave in almost instantly.

"You matter more than you think. You're more than what you imagine yourself as..."