First Loves🍋 (Kourai Hoshiumi x OC)

Chapter- 12 Our Past

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At the sound of Hoshiumi's voice, she was pulled away from the thoughts of not being enough for him even after all these years,

"It should be enough..." Hoshiumi's voice dragged off, and they both heard that 'but' hanging in the air. However, she could see the difference between the boy she remembered and the man he had become when he picked his head up to meet her careful gaze. "It should be enough, and I know I can't fix my problems by hiding them behind my ambition. But I've never felt like I was enough- shit you know that. I fucking left you because I was so obsessed with success that I was willing to throw away the best thing in my life just to chase my stupid empty dreams."

He snorted at himself in annoyance. "And what'd I get for it? I still don't feel confident in myself. Every day I go to that gym I feel like I have to prove that I'm better than everyone else. I can't kick back like Suna's lazy ass, nor can I be content like Komori." With every bit out word, Hoshiumi's brows furred a bit more. "Shit, every time I call home all I can think about is how I'm not enough. Maybe if I had gotten my brothers' genetics I would have been," he looked down at his smaller hands, "maybe I would have been better...maybe I would be more.

"Maybe I would have been enough for you..."

~11 years ago~

Maeko knocked on the heavy wooden door and hummed to herself as she waited for it to be answered. Soon enough it was pulled open, and Asa Hoshiumi smiled at her energetically, "Maeko! Hello sweetie, you here to see Kourai?"

"Yes ma'am! I stopped by to help him with his English homework."

Asa quickly waved her in. "Come in, come in sweetheart, don't want you spend'n any more time out in the cold." Hoshiumi's mother ushered her into the warm home and helped her out of her snow-covered jacket. "You're shivering, here let me go make you some tea."

"Oh! Please don't worry! I-I'll heat up in no time."

Hoshiumi's mother gave her a challenging smirk that looked exactly like Kourai's, and Maeko blushed at the resemblance between the boy she loved and his mother.

"Well some warm tea will help you warm up even faster, so I don't want to hear another peep out of you until you're nice and warm." She nodded her white hair covered head toward the kitchen. "Come on and take a seat."

Maeko loved Hoshiumi's mother. The pushy woman was simply an older version of Kourai. Everything from their mannerisms to their white hair, even their short spry stature was identical. As she followed her deeper into the house she basically considered her second home, she asked, "Is Kourai doing alright? I know he was feeling a little sniffly today."

Asa nodded. "You know our boy is stubborn, so he won't admit to it but he was feeling pretty bad this morning." Maeko frowned in concern, and Asa gave her a cheeky smile. "But for some unknown reason, my baby boy has been spring'n around the house this evening. He even had enough energy to tidy up his room, so I'm guessing he's feeling perfectly fine now."

Maeko's entire face lit up like a Christmas tree as her boyfriend's mother teased her ruthlessly.

"Your smooches must have really cured his illness today because his cheeks looked particularly pink when he came home from practice." Maeko nearly died with embarrassment when Asa popped those p's extra hard.

"I-I-umm-ma'am-I..." Maeko gave up all together and grimaced, "I am so terribly sorry!"

Asa tipped her head back and gave off the most amused wicked witch cackles at the shy girl's red-faced apology. Asa couldn't even apologize she was laughing so hard, so she was semi-thankful when her husband sighed, "Maeko, I am so terribly sorry about her." Akio turned from his place at the stove, and the great large man gave her a squinty-eyed sympathetic smile. "I hope she hasn't finally scared you away. We're all starting to feel much better after getting over the worst of our cold, and it seems my wife is back to her prankishness."