Chapter Text
Shouyou can't stand waiting any longer. He's been waiting for months. He can't even count how many days, how many hours it is. His little hands only allow him to count up to ten.
"Dad?" He tugs on the sleeve of his dad's shirt. They're sitting next to each other in the hallway not too far from the room his mom is in right now. Waiting. He hates waiting. It's boring.
His dad doesn't react and Shouyou grows even more impatient. He's a little worried, but more than that, he's excited. He can see an anxious expression on his dad's face, but it doesn't get to him that much. His mom said it would be alright. Besides, she was alright after having Shouyou, so it will be the same with his little sister. He's not so sure what's happening there, though. He doesn't remember how he was born. But it can't be that bad if his mom decided to have another baby, right? Shouyou hopes she's not in a lot of pain.. But he doesn't have a reason to be afraid, he decides. He trusts his mom and knows she's strong. Even stronger than him and he's a boy! So he can't help but smile and tug at his dad's sleeve again.
"What is it?" His dad finally asks, turning his head into Shouyou's direction. His face is white as sheet and his voice sounds like he's about to pass out, but Shouyou can only beam at him when he finally gets his attention.
"How long do we have to wait? Do you know how many minutes we've been already waiting? I don't know, but I know it's too many. Do you know how many? Will you tell me? Do you—"
"Shouyou," the man cuts him off with a tone that has him shutting his mouth instantly. His dad doesn't mean to be harsh, but the stress is getting to him more than he'd like to admit. He almost fainted when he got a call informing him she was in labor. Her screams... He just hopes it'll be over with quickly, for everyone's sake. He raises his hand and pats his son with a heavy sigh. "Be a little more patient, okay, little guy? It's going to be over soon and you will finally be a big brother. A big brother needs to set an example, you know? So be a good boy."
His dad tries to give him a reassuring smile, but it looks weak due to his nerves. Shouyou doesn't mind it though, he stops listening on big brother.
"Yes, I'm gonna be the best big brother! I'm going to play with her lots! Can I play with her after the doctors are done? Can I, dad?" He looks at his father with pleading eyes, grabbing his forearm with both hands and squeezing tightly.
"She needs to be a little older for that," his father chuckles. "But you'll get to see her."
"Oh," Shouyou says, disappointed. He pouts for a few seconds, puffing up his cheeks and crossing his arms, but his dad doesn't react so he starts getting impatient again. "So when will I see her?"
"Soon."
"How many minutes?"
"Shouyou."
The boy lets out an annoyed huff and leans his back on the chair abruptly, accidentally hitting his head on the wall.
He cries out, raising his hands to touch the back of his head, but his dad is faster. He raises his hands and looks for any injuries on his son's head, but luckily, there's no blood so it shouldn't be too bad.
"I told you to be patient," Shouyou's dad sighs, a little irritated by his overactive son. He's already seven years old, but just like it was from the beginning, he doesn't stop wearing his parents out even now. Always getting in trouble, hurting himself or other kids. He doesn't mean to do anything bad, but his hot-headed personality makes it hard to catch up with him.
"It hurts," Shouyou whines, ready to burst into tears at any moment. His dad tries to massage the back of his head to ease the pain and it seems to work, because Shouyou stops looking so miserable.
"Mister Hinata?" A voice asks.
There is a nurse coming up to them and while Shouyou doesn't know what it means yet, his dad already tenses up, waiting for the news.
"Everything went well. Both the mother and the child are okay. Congratulations, you have a really cute daughter. And healthy, most importantly." The nurse smiles and Shouyou's dad lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Thank God."
"Oh! Oh! Can we see her, miss? Can we see my little sis and mom? Please? Pleeease?"
Shouyou jumps in his seat and smiles widely, the pain already forgotten.
"She's really tired right now..."
Oh, no. It means he won't get to see his mom?
The nurse hesitates, seeing the sad look on the boy's face. Her heart breaks a little, seeing such a happy child with this kind of expression.
"Well, I can ask the doctor about it. Wait here for a minute."
Shouyou's excitation is already back, since now there's hope he'll get to see his mom and sister soon. He can't wait! He's wondering how she looks. She must be really small. What color are her eyes? Will she smile at him? Will they let him hold her? Oh, he wants to take her in his arms and hug her, even if he hasn't seen her yet. He just knows he'll love her.
The nurse walks away and gets back after a few minutes that feel like hours. At least for Shouyou. His dad, on the other hand, has a big smile on his face. It only makes Shouyou more excited and he can't stop jumping in his seat.
"Okay, so... The doctor said the husband could visit her right now, but he doesn't think it's a good idea to let a child in just yet. It can be overwhelming."
"What? Why can't I see her?" The boy asks, feeling incredibly hurt.
"You see... Your mommy is really tired. And the baby is, too. They can't play with you right now, so it would be boring, right? Your dad will only talk to your mom for a second and come back. And I think that you will be able to see her in an hour after she's feeling a bit better. What do you say?"
"Hmm..." Shouyou hums, considering what the nurse said. "If I wait for an hour, I get to see mom and sis? For sure?"
"Yes," the nurse says, giving him a warm smile. This kid is really active and loud… She can see it even without spending more time with him. It wouldn't be good if he saw his mom now, it could be too much. And asking a young boy to be silent and calm down won't work for long, she's dealt with kids, so she knows. The doctor is right to let the patient rest for now, she decides. But she's still sad they're disappointing the boy like this.
Shouyou wrinkles his nose, not happy about waiting for another hour, but eventually decides he can take it. He's a big boy, isn't he? He doesn't want to make his mom even more tired. He cares for her and he knows the doctor must know what is the best for her, even if it leaves him feeling disappointed.
"Okay," he says, smiling back at the nurse. He likes her. She's nice and she takes care of his mom and little sister, so she must be a good person. He's happy someone like that is his mom's nurse.
"You're a really good boy, Shouyou," his dad says and the boy puffs out his chest in pride. He beams at him like he's saying well, of course I am and in his dad's eyes it's the most adorable thing in the world.
"There's a room for the kids near. You can let your son stay there so he wouldn't get bored," the nurse says, glancing at Shouyou's dad.
"Perfect," the man agrees as he takes his son's hand and follows the nurse. Before they get to his mother's room, they take Shouyou to the room filled with toys, plushies and art supplies. Shouyou's eyes sparkle as he looks around the room. There are other kids already playing in there, but they pay him no mind. Well, then he will be the one to talk to them!
Shouyou's dad only smiles softly, kissing his son on the forehead.
"Be good and wait here for me, okay?"
The boy nods his head with renewed energy, making his dad and nurse chuckle as they go to the room near the one the one they left Shouyou in. Where his dad finally gets to see his wife and daughter. Shouyou would be sad he needs to wait, but the toys around make him excited enough to leave that thought for later. It's hard for him to focus on one thing, anyways.
There are many toys there, but he gets bored soon. Too soon. He couldn't find any kid that would want to play with him and he hates being alone. And one girl even called his hair ugly! How could she be so mean? Well, he's really energetic and it's annoying for most kids his age. At least that's what his teacher says. That he can get overwhelming. So he shouldn’t be surprised, really, but what is he supposed to do now?
He’s going to find his dad, he decides. He doesn’t want to play here anymore. And besides, he's pretty sure one of the kids peed in their pants because it stinks here. And all the best toys are already taken. It's not that they don't want to play with him, it's him who doesn't want to play with them!
There’s a weird noise coming from one of the rooms. He hears it as he walks out of the kid’s room and it catches his attention in the hallway. It sounds like something hits the wall really hard. Shouyou knows he’s supposed to stay where he is.... but he needs to find out where this noise comes from. He has to. And he's so bored. He’ll say sorry to his dad later. He’s sure his dad will understand!
“Who’s there?” He asks, coming closer to the room that seems to be the source of this hitting sound. He glances inside curiously, noticing there are various machines in the room. It sort of looks like the place on the TV he sees sometimes. The one where people lift metal things that look really heavy or do exercises. Ugh, he forgot the word, but it doesn't matter. More importantly, In the middle of the room stands a boy. He looks like he’s Shouyou's age and he’s holding a ball in his hands. Shouyou wants to say hi to him, but he closes his mouth, confused, when the kid glares at him. What did he do to deserve that? He barely came into the room and this boy already looks like this?
“Hi! What are you doing? Are you playing with the ball? Can I play with you? I’m really bored.” Shouyou says, deciding he’s not going to back down just because the boy has a scary face. He’s not afraid! And he’s going to play with the ball too!
“That’s my ball,” says the boy, hugging it tightly, like he thinks Shouyou’s about to take it from him. “Go away.”
Shouyou stays in place, crossing his arms proudly. Why is this boy so rude? He only wants to play! Are all kids in the hospital like this?
“You probably can’t even play with this ball and you don’t want me to see it!” He exclaims, making the other kid’s scowl even worse. “I’m sure I’m better than you anyways. So I don’t want to play with you.”
The kid gasps, clenching his teeth and looking like he’s about to punch Shouyou in the face. Shouyou takes a step back. He’s not going to pick a fight, is he?
“No way you’re better than me, idiot!”
Shouyou clasps a hand over his mouth at the insult.
“You can’t say words like that! That's mean!”
“Not my fault you’re an idiot!”
“I’m not!”
Shouyou goes red. He’s so angry it feels like he’s head about to explode. This kid is extremely rude just because Shouyou wanted to play with him. What is wrong with him? Does he not play with other kids? It’s not possible! Playing by yourself is so boring, that’s why Shouyou is so happy to finally have a sibling.
“I’ll prove to you that I’m better,” Shouyou declares, deciding he needs to show this kid he’s not going to let him treat him like this. “Let’s race.”
“Let's… What?” The boy asks, taken aback by the sudden challenge, opening his mouth slightly in surprise.
“Exactly what I said! We’re going to run at our best speed and the first person to stop is the loser! I’m sure you’ll get tired sooner than me,” Shouyou smirks proudly, pointing at his chest with his thumb. He's fast so he's not afraid of losing. He may be a little small for his age, but that doesn't stop him.
“That’s dumb,” the kid mutters, looking at him with narrowed eyes and for a moment Shouyou thinks he’s going to say no.
“What, you’re too afraid to even try?” Shouyou asks daringly.
“No way. I’m going to win,” the kid smirks and it makes Shouyou both annoyed and excited at the same time, which is weird, but he doesn’t have the time to dwell on that. He’s going to win this race. Finally something fun to do!
“I’m going to count to three,” the boy says, but Shouyou doesn’t wait for him and starts running immediately. It’s like he can’t hear anything, he’s so focused on each step. He catches the boy scream something about cheating, but his legs never stop moving.
He’s running through the hallways, almost bumping into people a few times, but he manages to continue moving at the same pace. The nurses yell at him to not run in the hospital, but he doesn’t care, he needs to win and show this rude kid where his place is. And it’s in the second place, because the first belongs to Shouyou!
There is a door leading outside and he doesn’t hesitate before storming out of the building. He’s in some kind of a garden. Or maybe a park? There are a few benches around, as well as a small fountain in the middle. Many different trees and plants too, even if he can’t name them, he still thinks they’re pretty. If he wasn't in a race right now he could take a closer look at them. It’s probably a place for patients to come and relax. It’s empty now, at least Shouyou doesn’t see anyone just yet. He can only hear the sound of the other kid’s foot hitting the ground right behind him. He has to run faster! No way this boy’s going to outrun him.
He’s so distracted by his surroundings and keeping the fast pace that he doesn’t notice there’s a step behind the fountain where the ground is at a little higher level. It’s not a big difference, but it’s easy to miss. With how fast Shouyou's running it’s not surprising he ends up tripping over it. His face hits the ground with a loud thud. Luckily, he lands on his cheek and his palms, so at least he doesn’t break his nose. Because if he fell on his nose, he’s sure it’d be broken by now.
He raises his upper body a little but he gets interrupted.
He can’t even properly understand what happened when his cheek hits the ground again. This time it’s because something, well, rather someone trips over Shouyou's legs and falls on his back with their whole body. He hears a loud yelp but he’s not even sure if it comes from him or from the other person. Maybe both. He only knows his whole body hurts and it hurts so much he’s already close to tears. But he won’t cry! He’s stronger than that!
Shouyou groans, trying to stand up, but the other kid is too heavy and he can only lift himself a little before he falls on the ground with a frustrated huff.
“Get off me!”
The other boy mutters something under his breath and Shouyou can’t understand a word. The only thing that matters is that he’s not getting off and it’s making Shouyou even more irritated.
He opens his mouth to yell at the rude kid again, but then he feels a soft touch under his ear and it takes him so off guard that he forgets what he wanted to say. He freezes, trying to understand what’s happening.
He feels warm puffs of air on the side on his neck and he realizes that the other boy is sniffing him.
He takes a few moments to take the thought in. Why is he doing it? What a weirdo! That's not how you talk with other people. Maybe he's young but he knows this much! What...
Apart from being mad, Shouyou feels really nervous for some reason. He doesn’t move, curious what the other boy will say, and maybe a little scared because he has no idea why he’s in this situation in the first place. A blush creeps up his cheeks when he finds himself leaning into the touch instinctively. He freezes. He doesn't understand. What's going on?
The other boy’s doing right now it so random that he doesn’t even know if he should yell at him or just wait until he explains what’s this all about. He's afraid to move. He's not sure what he'd do right now. Is the boy doing something to him? Why does he feel so… okay with all this? He wants him to get lost, but he also doesn't. It's confusing. He doesn't like it.
Then he feels something wet on his neck and he jumps in surprise, hitting the boy’s head with his own and making him fall on his back. Finally free, Shouyou turns around to face him, covering his neck with his hand and crawling back a little. No, really, what’s wrong with this kid? First sniffing and then… and then… he licks his neck? Why? He’s a human! Not food! And on top of that, right now he's a very, very confused human.
He remembers something similar happening on TV, but it's what adults do… He doesn't understand why, though. Do they like the taste of sweat of something? Weird.
“What are you doing?!” Shouyou asks accusingly, pointing at the boy with his free hand. His eyes are wide open in shock.
The thing is, the boy seems to be even more shocked than Shouyou. And he was the one to do these weird things! So what’s with this confused look on his face? He doesn't get to act confused after making Shouyou so embarrassed!
“I—,” he says, but closes his mouth like he doesn’t know how to explain himself. But surely he didn’t do something weird without a reason, right? What if this is some crazy kid that goes biting other kids when they’re angry? Shouyou doesn’t want to get bitten! It must hurt a lot. Probably even more than hitting the ground!
“You what? You can lick ice-cream, but not people!”
The boy’s face immediately goes red, but his scowl doesn’t go away. No, it deepens. It actually looks pretty funny and Shouyou finds himself giggling, to the other boy’s displeasure.
“What’s… What’s so funny?” He grunts.
“Your face,” Shouyou answers before bursting out in laughter again.
“My face is normal! I was born like this!” The boy yells, clearly offended, but Shouyou can’t stop laughing. There are tears in the corner of his eyes and it’s hard to catch his breath once he completely loses it and starts rolling around on the ground.
The boy crosses his arms and looks at Shouyou like he’s judging him for his sins and decides to kill him by hitting his head with the ball he’s still holding in his hands. Well, with the way the kid’s eyes go to the ball and then to Shouyou it wouldn’t be weird if he really decided to throw it at the giggling redhead.
“Stop laughing, idiot,” he says, squeezing the ball so hard his fingers start to hurt.
Something in his tone makes Shouyou calm down, even if it’s not immediately. After a few moments of wheezing and wiping off the tears from his face he raises his upper body from the ground, sitting with his hands on the cold grass and staring at the other boy with furrowed eyebrows.
The boy looks really uncomfortable all of a sudden. He looks away, avoiding Shouyou's gaze. Ah, yes, he was supposed to find out what exactly happened earlier! But when Shouyou opens his mouth, the boy seems to notice it and starts to sweat in panic. He stands up abruptly, making Shouyou flinch and suddenly, he's lost for words. Again. Why is he so easily distracted? It's really hard to know what's going on inside this kid's head...
“You lost!” He yells.
Yep. That's what Shouyou's talking about.
Shouyou realizes his mouth’s hanging open, so he closes it, only to open it again a second later. “Wh-What?” He asks dumbly.
“You lost, idiot. You were the one that stopped running first. So you lost. And I won.”
Shouyou gasps and takes a few second to let that sink in.
He stands up in one sudden motion, pointing at the kid with his finger, so close that he would be sticking it into his chest if he moved a little forward.
“No way!” He yells back. “I tripped! It doesn’t count!”
“You didn’t say anything about tripping, so it counts. You lost, so stop arguing. You’re too dumb to win in a discussion with me.”
Is Shouyou really hearing this right now? This boy… this boy is just so rude. Shouyou can’t take it. He groans, clenching his fingers on his curly hair and pulling at it in frustration. He just can’t get along with this kid. It’s like he’s looking for a fight, really. Shouyou's tempted to just smack him in the face. That would be satisfying.
But no! His dad told him to be a good boy. So he would be a good boy, even if this kid is so rude it makes him go mad. He’ll be better than that.
“I can’t hear you, blah, blah,” Shouyou says, sticking out his tongue at him. The boy’s face twists into an irritated grimace and he says something about being childish, but Shouyou stops paying attention to him because he realizes something important. He gasps, remembering he is supposed to be inside the hospital, not in some kind of a garden where his dad won’t find him.
“Ah!” He clasps a hand over his mouth in horror.
“Wh-What?” The boy asks, looking around like he’s expecting to see a monster approaching.
“My dad. He told me to stay with the other kids. I have to go back or they won’t let me see my mom,” he whines, jumping in place. “But I don’t know the way back…” He adds quietly, not happy about the fact that he’s expressing some kind of a weakness in front of the kid that calls him an idiot.
“Well, I know the way back,” the boy says, raising one eyebrow in amusement. “But I’ll only show you if you admit you lost.”
Shouyou clenches his fists and puffs up his cheeks, frustration clear on his face.
“Fine,” he answers eventually, even though the word barely comes through his throat. “But after we’re there, we’re going to compete in something different and I’m going to beat you, so don’t get scared and run away!”
“Sure,” the boy answers with a laugh, but it looks more like he’s making fun of Shouyou. The smirk on his face only confirms it.
Then the boy looks at him with a weird look on his face, like he’s thinking about something really hard and Shouyou gets impatient. He starts jumping in place awkwardly. Why aren’t they going back already? Is he going to stare at Shouyou all day? Because it feels like it.
“Stop fidgeting,” the boy blurts out, rolling his eyes and taking Shouyou's hand. Shouyou flinches at the sudden motion, but doesn’t tear away from him. He only mumbles something about being a weirdo as the boy leads him to, hopefully, the room he’s supposed to be in.
He’s surprised when they don’t go through the door they used earlier. Instead, the boy leads him to the front of the building. So they’re going another way? Well, doesn’t matter. As long as he gets back, they can even use a window to get in and he’ll just go along with it.
“You’re sure you know the way back?” Shouyou asks, a little uncertain when the boy stops before the stairs leading to the main entrance. He seems to hesitate for a second before answering with an annoyed huff.
“Shut up.”
Wow. So rude. Shouyou's not even surprised anymore. Maybe he really should just smack the boy in the back of his head.
“But—”
“What’s wrong, boys? Are you lost?” A female voice asks.
Shouyou jumps in surprise at the sudden question. He looks to his right, searching for the source and finds a kind-looking woman there. Her hair is short, black and it reminds him of the other boy's hair. She's also young, maybe a little younger than his mom. At least that's his guess. She bends down a little and when Shouyou meets her eyes, she smiles at him warmly. He blushes slightly. She’s so pretty, he thinks, staring at her with admiration in his eyes. The other boy says nothing, but Shouyou couldn’t care less about him in this moment.
“Can you help us?” He asks and hears a loud tsk from the boy next to him. He squeezes Shouyou's hand really tight, making him hiss. Shouyou looks at him with an offended expression, but the boy glares back. Then he does something weird; he shakes his head slowly, like he’s telling Shouyou not to do something. What’s wrong this time?
“Thank you. We know where we are, so you don’t need to worry,” the boy says in the woman’s direction, but even if his words are polite, his tone sounds like he’s trying to insult her. And then Shouyou finally gets it. The boy doesn’t want any help. But why? Is he so sure he knows the way back? Or is he just being rude for the sake of it? Maybe he’s too proud to ask for help. Well, that’s stupid. And it's Shouyou who's supposed to be the dumb one here, sure. Not to mention the lady is really kind and really pretty, so there’s really no reason to say no.
“A feisty one, huh?” The woman says, giggling softly. “That’s okay. You can call me Leiko, by the way. Are you sure you don’t need help? You should probably be with your parents right now, shouldn't you?”
The boy tugs at his hand, trying to go away, but Shouyou doesn’t move. He doesn’t want to be rude, unlike someone. He can swear he hears the boy growl at him after that, but he’s too busy staring at the woman to look at him and make sure. Leiko looks around before leaning down so she can look Shouyou directly in the face. She lets out a quiet hm, which sounds more like a question, like she wants to know what he wants from her. Shouyou notices her eyes are really green, a beautiful shade of it, and it reminds him of blooming flowers and spring. He doesn’t even realize his mouth’s open until the woman starts laughing.
“What is it?” Leiko asks.
“You have really pretty eyes,” he answers honestly, beaming at her.
“Ah, so you’re the good boy here, aren’t you?” She smiles, grabbing his hand. “Then I’m sure you’ll forgive me for this.”
Before Shouyou has a chance to ask what he is supposed to forgive her for, she takes something out of her purse and slams it into Shouyou's forearm. It’s a syringe, he realizes in these short seconds he’s still awake. But I'm not sick, I don't need it. He feels a painful sting on his skin. Why would Leiko do something like this? What's inside? He wants to tell her he doesn't like this. Why is the world spinning?
Shouyou's hand slips out of the other boy’s hold and suddenly, he’s falling.
He passes out before he manages to find the answers.