That Night

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Just a short reminder that this chapter is in Chuuya's POV.
_____________________________________________

When I first met Atsushi, I, honestly, wanted nothing to do with him. He was a poor kid without a voice and no interest in interacting with anyone. I, personally, am an outgoing person and love interacting with others, but he didn't like that, so, in a petty way, I disliked him.

I remember the day so well. It might as well have been yesterday. I was on my way to work when I got a call from Kunikida asking me to head to his house.

After insisting that I wasn't going to get in trouble for being late to work, I turned my car around and headed in the direction of his place.

When I pulled up, he was standing at the door with an expression I couldn't decipher. After asking him what was going on, he responded with an answer I never in a million years would've guessed.

A kid had shown up on his doorstep the night before, covered in blood and looking as though he were starved.

After seeing the boy on his couch, a blanket wrapped tightly around his body, the slight tremors shooting through his body, the only indications that he was even alive.

I remember giving Kunikida a look that plainly spelled out 'what the hell'.

He had shrugged and told me what he knew, which was close to nothing, considering the kid wouldn't speak or allow anyone to touch him other than Kunikida cleaning him up the night before.

After a while, Kunikida and I came to some sort of agreement. Since he was the boss' assistant and couldn't miss work, and I had plenty of vacation time saved up because I refused to miss work, I would watch him during the day and make sure he ate, showered, and took care of himself, and he'd stay at Kunikida's house for the night.

Sadly, this only gave me an hour to prepare because Kunikida had to go to work.

Since then, we fell into a rhythm where Kunikida would drop Atsushi off at my place before work and pick him up when he headed home for the night.

After a week, I found I was growing fond of the boy and was fighting urges to keep him as my own child. Maybe even a sibling. He was oddly intriguing even without speaking. He would point at something he wanted or found interesting. His eyes would subtly light up, the dark purple and yellow becoming bright for a split second before going dull again.

Another week passed, and, coming as a shock to both Kunikida and I, he tried using his actions to say he didn't want to go back to the blonde's house and stay with me instead. After being absolutely certain that this is what he wanted, Kunikida left, and Atsushi and I went back inside. He resumed his place on the couch with the blanket around him, his eyes going back to the show we were watching. I stepped into the kitchen to find something for dinner when I heard the light padding of his feet on the floor, not expecting anything out of him.

When he spoke, his voice raspy and hoarse from lack of use, I had dropped whatever was in my hand at the time and turned to face him. He spoke again, a little softer, something I could only assume was his name falling hesitantly from his lips.

I remember resisting the urge to jump up and down and hug him tightly because I was excited, overly proud of this achievement, and that I was the one to witness it before anyone else. Honestly, I could never be prouder of him than I was in that very moment.

After a few days of him getting used to talking, I learned that his birthday was on May 1st and that he was only 16 years old. I didn't press him for answers about his past or why he felt the need to knock on a random door in the middle of the night. I was able to teach him how to read and write, make simple dishes, and introduce him to our boss who took an instant liking to him.