Chapter Text
Hitoshi didn’t believe in “fresh starts”. He believes that if something is broken, it can only be fixed through a miracle. That’s why he hated the idea of moving. Away from his old home, his old family, his old friends… his old life.
He was going to live with his Uncle Shota and cousin Eri. At least he had someone to trust to begin with. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of seeing his uncle who was “just like you when he was your age” and his sweet, cinnamon roll of a cousin for the first time in so long.
The car ride there was quiet. Uncomfortably quiet. Hitoshi liked the quiet, sure, but it was never as unsettling as it was now. The only noises in the car were the rattling of boxes and suitcases in the trunk. Hitoshi was scared that if he made a noise, the world would turn upside down. So he shut his mouth, put his headphones on, and looked out the window.
He would try to sleep, but sleep wasn’t one of Hitoshi’s strong suits. He just let the noise of music marinate in his ears.
If the car ride was any longer than a few more hours, he might have actually gotten sleep, but he knew that there wasn’t any longer than an hour left of the car ride. Still, Hitoshi laid his head in his hands and rested his eyes, hoping that this would be enough to get him through the rest of the day.
After about an hour and a half, Hitoshi was startled by the sound of his uncle’s voice.
“We’re here, Hitoshi” Shota told him, sounding tired as well. “You head inside for now”
As soon as he stepped inside, Hitoshi was almost immediately trampled by his cousin.
“‘Toshi!” Eri yelled, full of joy and excitement
“Hi, Eri!” Hitoshi said back, lifting her up and letting her grab onto him like a koala “I’ve missed you!”
“Me too!” Eri smiled at him, brought and full of energy. “Papa set up a room for you upstairs. Let me show you!” She said as she grabbed Hitoshi’s hand and began dragging him up the stairs.
“Here it is!” Eri proudly said, feeling like she just fixed something super important.
“Thanks Eri.” Hitoshi said, walking through the doorway and dropping his backpack on the ground, his keychains making a clinking metal noise.
There wasn’t much in the room, only a mattress, a desk, a dresser, and a lamp that was connected to the light switch
“Papa put so much work into this!” Eri exclaimed, happy to show her father’s achievement
“I can tell.” Hitoshi replied, looking around the bare room
This was his home now.
He just had to make it that