It Started with a Hello

xxv

"What the fuck happened to you?" Hanamiya demanded.

[Last Name] knew people would stare and whisper amongst themselves. Her uniform couldn't hide her injuries. Especially not her swollen eye, and the burn on her hand.

She didn't think Hanamiya would be there, though.

She shrugged, smiling at him. "It's nothing."

He scowled, clenching his hands into fists. "Nothing? You think this is nothing?! You look like you were attacked for fuck's sake!"

She lowered her head, noticing the people staring at the two of them.

"Hanamiya-kun, can I trust you?"

He blinked, taken aback.

She sighed. "I'm going to tell you something, but please do not repeat this to anyone. Promise?"

He nodded. "Sure."

"Okay." She stood up. "Let's go somewhere... Less crowded."

...

They found themselves on the roof of the school.

Hanamiya crossed his arms, the scowl still on his face, but still waiting patiently nonetheless.

[Last Name] cleared her throat, and let out a shaky breath. "Where to begin... I guess it starts with my birth."

He nodded for her to continue.

"When I was born, there were some.... complications which led to my mom's death. And ever since then, my dad has blamed me for it.

"For as long as I can remember, my dad would always yell at me, hurt me. I could come home from school and immediately be bombarded with accusations, which in turn lead to beatings."

She hasn't realized Hanamiya moved closer until he awkwardly brought her into a hug.

"It wasn't so bad at first; I was able to hide the evidence of his abuse. But this last time-- last night-- it was bad. As you could see."

[Last Name] let out a nervous laugh.

"It's harder to hide these. Maybe I should invest in makeup to cover--"

"Shut up," Hanamiya murmured, "Just shut the hell up."

She gulped, and nodded.

"It was my fault," he stated, "If I had made you go home..."

"Don't blame yourself," [Last Name] whispered, "It was me who wanted to stay. I had to make sure you were okay."

His grip on her tightened, making her wince in pain.

"Sorry," he murmured, making the hug looser.

Hanamiya didn't know why, but he knew from that point on, he wanted to protect [Last and First Name].

...

Aw.

-Caity