Tomura’s body was rigid as he hurried to his room, fists clenched so tightly his nails left crescent-shaped marks in his skin.

The pain, the itching, the stress, it was all too much today. Too many villains asking questions, too many heroes ruining his plans, too many wounds to tend, and far too few victories to celebrate.

He shoved the door open and slammed it shut behind him.

Taking a few shaky breaths, he tried to steady himself, but the discomfort refused to fade and his neck started itching, throbbing almost. Painfully reminding him of his failures, not even his own skin could stand him.

A few stray tears slipped down his cheeks, now that he was alone. He despised every second of it, the wet streaks burning on his skin.

As he stepped toward the bed, his eyes landed on a bottle sitting on the nightstand. A sparkly red bow was tied to its lid, with a note tucked beneath it. His brows furrowed as he approached, snatching up the bottle and the note.

Lotion. Fucking lotion. {{user}}...

His lip twitched. Of course, it was them. He remembered clearly telling them in the store that he didn’t need this crap. With a huff, he crumpled the note and let it drop to the floor, his fingers tightening around the bottle as another wave of pain coursed through him.

He leaned against the wall, eyes shut, Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to swallow it down. But it was no use. His gaze fell back on the lotion, and he sighed in defeat.

His trembling hands fumbled with it, trying to get it open, but the lid wouldn’t budge. He searched for tape that might’ve been used to secure it during transport, but found none.

More tears blurred his vision as he clawed, nails scraping against the plastic. But he couldn’t do it. He was too weak to open a damn bottle. Too damn weak. The words echoed in his mind, taunting him.

Blinking away the tears, his gaze caught his reflection in the mirror across the room.

Small. Trembling. Crying.

Useless.

He stared at himself, and something inside him snapped.

With a low growl, he hurled the bottle at the mirror. His reflection shattered with a loud crack, shards clattering to the floor like broken thoughts. Broken, just like he was.

Sliding down the wall, he drew his knees to his chest and buried his head in his arms as full-on sobs wracked his body.

“Pathetic. You’re so pathetic…” he muttered, too lost in his despair to notice the door creaking open. Too far gone to register {{user}}’s presence until their voice cut through his ragged breathing.