Chapter Text
The breeze gently rustled the lush and jade green leaves, bringing an indistinct melody with it, whispering of forgotten adventures and sweet – or perhaps bittersweet – lost summer dreams, the clicking noise of cicadas buzzing in the warm air of the late afternoon, while the shade of the tall trees gave them a sort of shelter from the outside world.
It was their favourite hideout, a secret place only for them.
At least, this is how Hinata Shouyo felt when he sat on the soft grass cross legged listening to his new friend, a boy with short hair the colour of dark honeyed brown, mischievous but bright eyes like the summer sky, an impish smile on his soft lips promising troublesome yet so very exciting adventures. He was talking about a spirit living inside the forest, the fact he resembled a big, silver fox, or was it a kitsune? It didn’t matter, because Shouyo hung on his lips and drank every single word, nodding with burning enthusiasm. He could listen to him forever.
“And ya should see it, Shouyo-kun,” his smug voice continued, grinning his way, and showing sharp canines, big brown eyes sucking Hinata in. “Yer gonna think it’s scary at first, but ya don’t need ta be afraid, cuz I’ll be there with ya.” He pointed at his chest with the thumb, showing off no little confidence, which has fascinated Shouyo throughout all summer, giving him the necessary courage to jump in all their adventures. He simply couldn’t resist that smile and his magic charisma. “I’ll protect ya!”
“I can’t wait to see it!” Hinata cheered, clapping his hands, vibrating with so much excitement his small body trembled, only to deflate fully the next moment. “Oh, but it’ll have to wait till next summer,” he mumbled, as his eyes glanced down to the grass and his mood plummeted.
His summer vacation reached its conclusion, meaning he’d go back to Sendai the following day, going back to his usual life. Yes, he missed his friends, Yachi, Yamaguchi, and Kageyama, even Tsukishima with his nasty comments, and he couldn’t wait to tell them about his many adventures, but…but it meant he wouldn’t see his new friends for a whole year.
In particular, it meant Shouyo wouldn’t see and talk with him until next summer, and the idea made him suddenly very sad. He swallowed down as he felt tears pricking his eyes.
“But ya’ll come back next summer, right?” He asked while his big, mischievous eyes studied Hinata with such intensity that the younger boy only nodded with open mouth, tears forgotten. “Ya mean it, right?” There was a touch of uncharacteristic insecurity in his usual haughty tone, and it made Hinata even sadder.
Shouyo didn’t want to leave so soon; he was going to miss his new friend so very much.
“Of course!” Shouyo promptly promised, crawling on his hands and knees closer to the boy, the need to wipe away the shadow of insecurity throbbing strongly in his head and heart. “Of course, I’ll come back! Next summer we’ll meet again and spend every day together!” The boy’s face bloomed with a rare smile made of shyness and genuine joy, cheeks dusting of pink, looking almost younger than Shouyo. His heart thumped while his lips stretched in a wider grin. “Will you wait for me?” Was his turn to ask because leaving turned him restless.
“I’ll wait fer ya, Shouyo-kun,” the grinning boy vowed without any doubt, nodding once very seriously, and showing his pinkie to Hinata. “It’s a promise, a real and magic promise, and ya know I don’t lie, right? No matter what my stupid twin says,” he grunted, rolling his eyes, “I don’t lie, trust me!”
Shouyo nodded, smiling from ear to ear, his heart bursting in happiness. He was right. He never lied to Hinata, no matter what others said, no matter what his twin and his friend with sharp green eyes joked about, teasing him. The boy never lied to Shouyo, and he said the promise was a magic one.
He glanced at the pinkie and sealed his own promise by tangling their pinkies together, the boys exchanging a toothy grin in the secret shelter of the shade and big trees, little insects buzzing around, the cicadas clicking loudly.
“You promise?” He asked again, anxious to hear those words another time, to make sure they were going to meet again next summer.
“Yah, Shouyo-kun, it’s a promise!” He shook their connected pinkies three times and then nodded satisfied at himself. “We’ll meet again next summer, fer sure.”
He searched in his pockets and Hinata observed full of wonder, because the boy always managed to bring the most incredible things with him, or he had to tell the most extraordinary stories. And of course, he produced out a beautiful marble that sparkled with colourful light when a ray of sun caught its round surface. The boy held it in his palm, looked at it intently, eyes narrowed and focused, until he mumbled something, lips pursing then as he blew at it.
“Here, Shouyo-kun, a token of our promise,” he told him with pride as he gave him the colourful marble. “Keep it always with ya.” Hinata nodded, looking at the beautiful small treasure with parted lips and big eyes, feeling like he was holding something extremely important.
“You promise we’ll really meet again?”
Hinata was never going to forget about this summer.
“Yah, fer sure, come here next summer and look for me, hold the marble in yer hand while thinkin’ ‘bout me, okay?” Hinata nodded, listening to every single word with undivided attention.
“And you promise you’ll never forget about me?” He suddenly asked, unsure why he did so, but unable to keep the words in the secrecy of his heart. He had to hear the boy promise it loudly, while smiling at him the way he always did. “I’ll never forget about you!”
His voice shook a bit and the friend perceived it, because his smile changed into a soft and gentle one, fingers going to run through Hinata’s messy orange locks. He liked his hair, its peculiar colour, telling Shouyo they smelled like fresh tangerines.
“I’ll never forget ya, never,” he promised with final solemnity, the smile so genuine it made Hinata feel at ease, knowing there was nothing to worry about. “I can’t forget ‘bout ya, impossible.” He leaned closer, the tips of their noses almost touching, big eyes staring intently at him. “Yer my first real friend, the only one able to really see me, I’ll never forget ‘bout ya.” Another sweet smile lit up his face before lips left a quick peck on Hinata’s cheek.
The leaves rustled at the gentle summer breeze, a butterfly danced around them, a ray of sun touched their faces and made the boy’s eyes shine of magic light. A complicit grin passed between them, a giggle, and a promise that made Hinata’s heart leap fast, already counting the days separating them. He couldn’t wait for the next summer, to meet again, spend every day together, enjoy incredible adventures together, with his twin, his friends, and of course with Natsu.
“See ya next summer, Shouyo-kun,” the boy said one last time before disappearing in the forest. Hinata waved at him, big smile on his lips, his small hand holding the marble tightly, cradling it protectively, for it was his most precious treasure.
He waited another bit before going home, unable to uproot himself from where he stood, but dinner time approached and he couldn’t delay any longer, or else his grandmother was going to lecture him yet another time. During the summer, it had happened many times, but Shouyo regretted none of them.
He glanced at the marble and recalled the promise made by the boy, closing his eyes as he pictured his brilliant smile full of confidence.
Yes, next summer. They were going to meet again next summer.
Finally able to chase his sadness away, Shouyo ran home, smiling and still tightly clutching his most precious treasure.
But years passed and many summers followed, summers in which they never met again.
No matter how many times Hinata tried to call for the boy while holding the marble he had gifted him with, no matter how many times Hinata looked for him in the neighbourhood or in the forest, how many summers passed. He never got to see that boy again.
And many years passed by, years in which Shouyo never forgot about that boy with honeyed brown hair, bright and mischievous eyes, and a confident smile reflecting his troublemaking yet very funny and, yes, very sweet nature.
*****
-MANY YEARS LATER-
The light spilled pale and feeble inside the bedroom; the alarm was still silent as Shouyo woke up before it went off. He stretched long in his bed and slowly opened his eyes, glancing to his left side, finding it empty. As usual.
After another disastrous relationship, Shouyo decided to take a break from dating. He had had a sort of friends with benefit thingy going on with Tooru for a while, but at some point, Hinata felt the need to close that one, too. Oikawa agreed, with his usual charming smile, and they remained just friends. Hinata couldn’t ask for anything more, as Tooru was an amazing, trusted friend.
Before getting up and going to shower, Shouyo reached out to his right, taking something from the nightstand. He held it in both his hands, bringing them close to his face, touching his lips. His eyes closed as he recalled the dream he just had, and a sigh escaped his mouth. He took a couple of deep breaths before opening his eyes again, before revealing what his hands shielded so carefully.
A glass marble rolled gently on his palm; the colourful light faded in simple white glass throughout the many years. Hinata never understood why it lost its colours, why it became as if made of mere transparent glass. Despite it all, it still was his most precious treasure.
A token, a present, a promise.
Although, Shouyo never got to meet that person again and, for sure, he had already forgotten about him, even if Hinata never did. Just as the boy said once, impossible to forget about him.
He still recalled the first time they met, when he and Natsu moved into their grandmother’s summer house.
They were exploring the garden, naming flowers and plants, when first a boy and then a second one, looking quite identical, suddenly showed up. Twins, without any doubt. Oh, the excitement in meeting new friends! And twins, to boot! But Shouyo could always tell them apart, no matter the many times they tried to fool with him. Identical yes, but so very different.
When they first popped out in the garden, one kept behind, studying he and Natsu warily, dark grey eyes missing nothing, while the other one, evidently more exuberant, grinned at them, sticking his tongue out. Shouyo had blinked unsure what to think of it, for then bursting out laughing. The second boy had eyes of a warm brown, hair of a similar yet slightly darker shade, flipped to the opposite side of his twin. Just like the cautious boy, he wore a simple t-shirt and shorts, keeping barefoot though.
“Who are ya?” The more extrovert twin asked, a way of speaking Shouyo never heard before. He couldn’t tell his age, probably around his own or slightly older. He was taller, but not that much taller, which gave Shouyo comfort. Natsu was stuck to him, grabbing at his t-shirt, and slightly hiding. She was curious yet timid.
“I’m Shouyo and this is my sister Natsu,” he introduced themselves, returning an equally big smile. Something about the barefoot boy made him feel at ease, kindling his interest. “And you?”
The boy kept silent though, glancing toward his twin, who simply lifted his shoulders once. A rustle from the neighbouring forest caught their attention, as they whipped their heads toward it and straightened their backs.
“We better go,” said the quiet twin to his brother, ignoring Shouyo and Natsu. The boy weighted those words and then conceded.
“Ya, we better go, yer’ight.” Shouyo giggled at his way of talking because it was amusing. The boy though turned his attention back to him and narrowed his bright eyes. “Whatcha laughin’ ‘bout?”
“Nothing!” Hinata had immediately replied, waving his hands in front of him, blushing. “I-I…” He wondered if he could say it without sounding rude, a hand scratching the back of his head. His sister glanced up at him and beamed, so he giggled more. “I like the way you speak,” he confessed.
The boy just stared back at him unimpressed, surprising then Shouyo with a boisterous laugh, his head thrown back as he cackled.
“Yer funny, Shouyo-kun,” he had said, taking Hinata aback for having addressed him by his first name. “We’re yer neighbours, see ya around!” With that, the twins quickly jogged away and disappeared.
Later, he and Natsu asked his grandmother about them, and she explained that the family living not far from her had kids of more or less Shouyo’s age. Oh, so that was it. The mystery was solved.
As the memory lulled him, Shouyo giggled, feeling once more a kid of barely ten years of age. But he no longer was a kid and work waited for him. Thus, he carefully placed the marble on the nightstand and went to shower.
*****
The sharp words lashed out with a bitter glare slapped at the therapist, shutting her up. She pressed her lips tightly together and forced a smile on her mouth. Arguing with a patient was absolutely out of the discussion and against the hospital policy, no matter how horrible the patient was. Just like the one she was dealing with. Oh no, she shouldn’t be thinking like that! She felt horrible for entertaining such mean thoughts, so she took a deep breath to calm herself down.
“I don’t need your help, you’re all useless,” he growled with a nasty expression, even baring his teeth. But as he went to move, wanting to prove his point, the man couldn’t do much. “Fuck,” he swore.
“Let me please help you, or you might injure yourself,” she gently told him, but the man slapped her hand away, eyes glaring at her in pure distaste.
“I’m already fucked, I’m already broken and unable to move, so what worse can fucking happen to me, ha?” He technically wasn’t unable to move, but she chose not to correct him. Arguing wasn’t going to do them any good.
“We’re here to help you to recover from the surgery, and the therapy designed for you will bring incredible results, you’ll see that-”
“Shut up, will you? It’s all bullshit, because no matter what the heck you do to me, I still can’t feel this fucking part,” he snarled as he hit with his right fist his right leg.
“It takes time,” she tried to explain with patience and empathy, because she understood why he was so bitter and angry.
It wasn’t the first case she witnessed, but there was something about this particular patient that made it extra difficult. Anger had become like a second skin to the man, and it stretched out of him with invisible fingers. It was nerve-wrecking.
“I’ve got no time to waste,” he groaned, jerking his head to the side to avoid looking at her. She decided to give him some space.
“I’ll be back later, please just rest now and don’t do anything that might put you in danger, alright?” She glanced around and saw another therapist talking with a nurse, so she knew she could leave him alone. He grunted his reply and nothing more.
She went to look for Ennoshita-sensei, in need to ask for his advice because it was the first time Yachi Hitoka encountered such difficult patient, and the last thing that she wanted was the take the wrong approach. He needed her help, no matter how unpleasant his attitude was.
*****
“He’s a very difficult case,” Hitoka explained and Shouyo creased his forehead at her troubled expression, especially when Inunaki-san snorted while crossing his arms over his chest.
Apparently, there was a new patient transferred from another hospital, since they hadn’t been able to give him the needed assistance. Rumours whispered they simply got rid of him because he was not worth the time and effort, considered how many other patients they had to take care of. Shouyo was shocked hearing it, because their mission was to heal people and help them recover from either injures or surgeries, no matter what.
“Difficult?” Inunaki Shion repeated with no little sarcasm. “The guy is a gigantic asshole, and I can’t understand why anyone hasn’t yet punched his big trap.” He huffed and sat down. “Even Adriah can’t handle him.”
“Inunaki-san!” Yachi gasped, glancing around afraid someone could overhear him and thus reprimand him for what he just said, but Hinata chuckled. Inunaki-san was known for being straightforward to a blunt and appalling degree, so nothing to worry about. “Shouyo, it’s not funny,” she insisted, face flushed and an agitated expression giving her a rather comical look. His childhood friend always stressed way too much about the smallest things. “And you can’t punch a patient, Inunaki-san, especially someone with his problems.”
“His attitude and big trap are his only problems, that’s it,” he sentenced.
“Is he so bad?” Hinata ventured since he didn’t remember hearing about this particular case.
“Nobody wants to deal with him, told you even Adriah didn’t know how to approach him, and if even our angel here, Hitoka-chan, can’t work her magic, it means he’s a lost cause.” He shook his head and rubbed his forehead. “Ennoshita-sensei isn’t sure what to do with him, because the asshole needs therapy and badly so, but he’s an uncooperative jerk and nobody knows how to handle him, he makes everyone nervous.”
Hinata’s eyes widened, and he also took a seat, contemplating the situation. He checked his schedule, glancing up at Hitoka, seeing her distraught expression, mostly caused by the fact she felt guilty for being unable to help him. She didn’t care about his attitude nor his nasty remarks. Of course, she didn’t care about such things. She was just as amazing. But too kind and gentle.
“How about this,” he finally spoke, smiling at his friend. “I’ll take this case and you can have the new old lady,” he went on, Yachi’s eyes going wider and wider, head shaking as to refuse his offer, but Hinata had already decided. “Nah, Hitoka, she’s lovely and you two will get along swimmingly, while I can handle this peach, hmm?”
“Good luck, Hinata,” Inunaki-san snorted, giving him a ferret-like smirk, winking. “But you’re another angel of your own kind, so it might work.”
Uhm, well, it was true everyone in the hospital adored Hinata and Yachi.
“Bu-but Shouyo, it’s not fair, and I should do it…”
“Hitoka-chan,” Hinata said in a sing-song voice, and she sighed, defeated. “Lemme handle him, I can do it, I mean, after handling Kageyama and Tsukishima as friends, I can definitely handle this one, right?”
She considered and giggled amused, nodding.
“I think he’s worse than them put together, but maybe you’re the only one who can help him.”
“Worse than Tsukishima and Kageyama?” Hinata gasped, now truly impressed. Who the heck was this guy? Satan disguised as human being?
“Told you he’s a gigantic asshole and jerk,” Inunaki-san offered, knowing both guys and thus able to make a comparison. Which didn’t encourage Hinata.
Oh well, he already made up his mind and, if Yachi said he only could help the patient, it meant it was his mission to do so.
She quickly explained him the situation and Hinata listened carefully, taking notes. He didn’t want to hear much about the man himself as he wanted to get to know him personally but being informed about his clinical case was essential.
He had had an accident, followed by a delicate surgery in neurosurgery, which had been successful yet leaving him in the dare need of physiotherapy. Everything went fine but for the feeling in his right side. When the man woke up from the surgery, he could move the right side fairly normally but had lost most of its feeling. Something he obviously took very bad.
He breathed deeply and studied the notes made by Ennoshita-sensei, the therapies listed for the patient, the possible exercises, and massages. Nothing Hinata Shouyo could not deal with, and in fact, he jotted down a few extra notes, drafting down a schedule for the next two days. He was going to test the waters before deciding on the definitive schedule, given lots depended on the patient’s personality and physical limits.
He was ready for the challenge; he knew he could do it.
But nothing prepared Hinata Shouyo for what was about to hit him.
“A-Atsumu?” He barely whispered, his heart pounding out of control in his chest, loudly thundering in his head, hammering against his throat. He felt almost sick, knees wobbling.
He couldn’t believe at what he was seeing. At whom was in front of him.
“Ah? Do we know each other?” The man asked lifting his upper lip in a sneer and seized him with a stare full of disdain. Hinata couldn’t believe at his own eyes. How could he be there? I-it wasn’t…possible, right? How? Why? His hands trembled and he almost dropped the files he was carrying, by then crumpled into a mess. “Who are you, ha? Another scrub thinking yourself high and mighty, while in fact you can’t do shit for me?”
Was this man really him? It was simply…well, impossible.
Hinata went to say something, however words died in his mouth. It was absolutely impossible, because…because…it was impossible. Simple as that.
But it was him, Shouyo wasn’t mistaking, he wasn’t hallucinating or making a blunder. Sure, the hair was now dyed blonde, but the undercut revealed the natural shade. Shouyo would recognise those eyes and the sound of that voice anywhere, even if it had changed, losing its peculiar intonation and playfulness, his eyes having turned cold and sharp, the light faded and pale just like for the marble Shouyo treasured.
“You are Atsumu, right?” He felt so stupid since he should’ve checked the name before meeting the patient.
“Yeah, I’m Atsumu, Miya Atsumu, got a problem with it?” Another glare full of contempt which pierced Shouyo right through his heart.
“No,” Hinata said with a nervous chuckle, because the man clearly had no idea who he was. “You don’t know me, right?” He checked, his hopes and heart crushed at the following harsh words he received for reply.
“Why should I know you, ha?”
Shouyo’s fingers tightened around the papers he was holding, his heart having gone cold and still. He couldn’t believe at his own eyes, but what was worse, he couldn’t believe at his own ears.
They boy he once met on a summer of many years ago had grown into a sour man with quite a bad attitude, bleached blonde hair, and anger morphing his features into hard, hostile lines. All the sweetness was gone, lost. And what was even worse, the man had completely forgotten about Shouyo.
How was that even possible? How could Atsumu be there and…? Hinata shook his head.
“So?” Shouyo stiffened at the aggressive quality of the man’s voice, but then recovered, recalling the first reason he was there. “What do you want from me?”
“I’m going to be your new therapist, Miya-san,” he opted to start with a formal approach, because it wasn’t the moment to understand what had happened. Later. “And I hope you’re going to be ready to work hard, because I’m not going to make things easy for you,” he explained, grinning excited by the new challenge, yet aware the man needed all his help and experience. “I’ll get you back to how you were before, it’s a promise.”
Hinata bit his tongue right after the words tumbled out of his mouth and internally cringed at himself. He had no idea why he spoke those last three words, something he should’ve never said to a patient. However, the moment their eyes crossed and met, he couldn’t help himself, and apparently, his words grabbed the man’s attention, given he blinked once and then concentrated his brown eyes on him.
It was him, no doubts, same intense way of staring at Hinata.
“A promise?” He asked, sounding almost bewildered, tilting his head to the side, right hand anxiously rubbing over his thigh, the left one clenching and unclenching into a fist, for then staring back at Hinata, repeating the same word, as if tasting it, hearing it for the first time. “A promise?”
“Yes, Miya-san, a promise,” Shouyo confirmed, nearing the man, and smiling at him, searching into his eyes hoping to see something in there, anything, a mere little sparkle, a glint of summer, a mischievous wink promising adventure, the smallest hint of realization.
Nevertheless, he found nothing but dark confusion. And infinite loneliness.
What had happened to the boy Shouyo met many years ago? Why was he there looking like that? It all felt surreal and Hinata still couldn’t wrap his head around it.