"Hey transfer student, what's your name?" The boy next to Yukine asked as Yukine stood bundled up at the school gates.
"Ah...Yukine..." Yukine said. Take him three years back and he would've been much more friendly and enthusiastic. But two years of abuse from his always drunk father and bullying from his former school had considerably clammed him up.
"Eh...that's a nice. And it's snowing right now. It's a pretty name." The girl standing near the boy said. "Neh, Yukine kun, how much longer are you going to stand here? The school is empty now and it's started snowing. You'll freeze to death."
"I'll be fine. What about you guys? How long will you guys be standing here?" Yukine asked.
"Not long. There's our car. Yukine, do you want us to drop you off at your house?" the boy asked. Ah...Yukine just realized they were twins.
"Thank you, but I'll be just fine waiting here. My brother is coming to pick me up." Yukine said with a shrug.
"OK. Don't stand in the snow for too long. See you, Yukine kun!" Yukine watched the car speed away. Yukine huffed, watching his breath crystallize in the cold. He was used to the cold. Countless days he had avoided going home because of his father. However, that didn't mean he had liked the cold. In fact, he hated the cold, especially snow. Yukine however, had been saved when a teacher reported to the police that he hadn't come to school for a week. The school had already been suspicious for a while. When the police broke into the house, the police found Yukine with countless bruises, two broken legs and an open window he couldn't reach which let in snow in for seven days straight.
That's when child care told him that he had a half brother from his father's previous marriage. His brother had apparently just made it big with a hit manga and was doing great financially. His brother would take him in.
Yukine remembered sitting in his wheelchair outside a cafe, watching the snow fall, holding the hand of the social worker and wondering what his brother was like.
"Are you worried?" The dark haired social worker asked him as a snowflake managed to make its way under their shelter and settle on Yukine's nose. Now Yukine wasn't worried, per say. It was just that, Yukine was fourteen and his brother was a twenty five year old mangaka. He didn't see how it was going to work. "Don't worry. I personally know your brother. I went to school with him. He's a good person. A little eccentric, but a good and caring person." Yukine didn't say a word. Silently, Yukine watched the snow fall. It just had to be cold and snowy, huh? "Ah, sorry Yukine kun. Please excuse me. I'll be back in five minutes." The social worker said with an apologetic smile before disappearing into the cafe. Yukine sighed and then wheeled out into the snow. The street was relatively empty.
"I wonder if I'll get in his way..." Yukine said to himself. He reached down, picking up a handful of snow and making a tiny snowball. And then someone sprinted at him from the other side of the street and then tripped and then landed dab smack on their face in front of Yukine's wheelchair. Well, this guy was a genius. The first thing that occurred to Yukine was that the guy was a serious contrast to the snow, wearing all black with black hair.
"Are you OK?" Yukine deadpanned. The guy shot up and spat out a mouthful of snow. He looked up at Yukine.
"Woah, sorry kid. Did I block the road for you? I was running away from my girlfriend. She's a demon when you piss her off." The guy dusted the snow off his tracksuit. Was that the only thing he was wearing in the snow. "I don't see her problem. I was just saying that her brother wouldn't mind the amount of his manjuu I borrowed from him." The guy frowned, most likely talking to himself as he took off a boot and emptied out the snow. Oh wow, what a scumbag. Before Yukine could register what he was doing, he had thrown the snowball at the guy's head. "Huh? What was that for?" The guy snapped. Surprisingly enough, Yukine wasn't scared. The guy seemed pretty harmless.
"Doing your girlfriend a favour." Yukine answered once he had made another decent snowball.
"You wanna go, kid? Don't underestimate me! I'm the king of snowball fights!" the tracksuit guy said.
"Are you trying to pick on a handicapped kid?" Yukine asked, promptly sending another well aimed snowball at the guy's head.
"Well then! I'll make my snowballs with one hand and stand in this very spot!" he declared loudly. Yukine shrugged, finishing another snowball.
"Suit yourself." And it landed on his head again.
"Agh! You're gonna pay, kid!" Yukine dodge the weak and tiny snowball sent at him. "Take this! And this! And this!" It was easy dodging his snowballs, except his wheel chair was getting wet. "And take this!" Yukine dodged but his eyes widened as he slipped and fell forward off his wheelchair. "Hey! Watch out!" The tracksuit guy lunged forward and caught Yukine before Yukine hit the ground. "Be careful kid! You got a wheelchair for a reason you know!" Yukine was hauled back into his wheelchair.
"Thanks..." Yukine muttered, looking away.
"You're welcome. My righteousness is awesome!" he beamed. Yukine felt a grin crack in his face but suppressed it, opting for a bored look.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're an idiot?" Yukine asked. The tracksuit guy shuddered, a look of horror on his face.
"You make the same disgusted look as my girlfriend!" Well that was no surprise.
"There you are!" A tired sounding female voice said. "Who are you bugging now? Did you just throw snowballs at a kid in a wheelchair?" Yukine saw a pretty girl hurry over. Ah, the tracksuit guy's girlfriend. Wait a moment, she looked gorgeous and the tracksuit guy was...um...weird.
"No way! I swear it wasn't one sided! It was a fair battle." the track suit guy said.
"Keep quiet!" the girl turned to him. "I'm so sorry about him, he's an idiot." she smiled.
"I'm sorry, but why are you dating him?" Was out of Yukine's mouth before he could stop himself. Her face turned blank.
"Sometimes I wonder that too..."
"What? Hiyori, you're so mean! No one loves me, boohoo! Not even Ebisu!" The tracksuit guy, bent over and began tossing snow into the air, making it fall on Yukine and Hiyori.
"Oh shush, you! Anyway, we're already late, we were supposed to meet Ebisu fifteen minutes ago!" Hiyori snapped. Yukine blinked. Ebisu. He wondered where he had heard that name before. "What's your name? My name is Hiyori. Ignore that." She smiled brightly.
"That?" The tracksuit guy wailed.
"Um...Yukine." Yukine answered. Both the tracksuit guy and Hiyori froze.
"Yukine?" The tracksuit guy repeated questioningly.
"Yeah...Yukine." Yukine answered.
"Sorry for making you wait, Yukine kun! Wait a moment, Hiyori, Yato? You guys are already here?" Yukine's social worker cried out. Oh, that was right. Yukine's social worker was named Ebisu and his older brother was named...
"Yato..." Yukine said dumbly.
"Yukine!" Yato threw himself at him. "Oh my god! Did that man do this to you? How dare he! I won't forgive him! My precious little brother!"
"Hora! You're getting snow all over him! Yukine kun, are you alright? Are you feeling cold? Do you need anything?" Hiyori asked, holding an overly excited Yato by his scarf, not that she could detach Yato from Yukine. And then Yukine was crying his eyes out.
"I-is...is it OK for me to stay with you? I won't be a burden?" Yukine bawled. Yato grinned widely at him.
"Of course you can stay with me, and you won't be a burden! Thanks to you, my favorite season is now officially winter!" Yato patted Yukine's head.
Mine too. Yukine thought as Hiyori and Yato laughed as they wipe Yukine's cheeks.
Yukine was brought back to the present when a teacher tapped his shoulder.
"Yukine kun, what are you still doing here?" the teacher asked.
"Waiting for my brother. He might be a little late because he has a deadline today." Yukine explained.
"Would you like me to drop you off at home in that case?" the teacher asked.
"Oh no, I'll be fine. He'll be sure to get here...because today is a special day." Yukine said fondly.
"Is that so? Very well then." Yukine waited for five more minutes, making a little snowball pile on the walk next to him.
"Oi, you! Walk straight! I can't believe you're going to pick Yukine kun up late on such an important day!" Yukine heard Hiyori's voice.
"But I'm so tired..." Yato's lethargic voice said.
"Then maybe you need a wakeup call!" Yukine said loudly, landing a snowball on Yato's head.
"Huh? Why you little brat!" Yato lunged forward.
"Don't you dare!" Hiyori called. Yato stopped.
"Meh...sorry for coming late, Yukine." Yato apologized. Yukine grinned and threw another snowball.
"It's OK." Yukine said.
"Happy Birthday, Yukine kun." Hiyori smiled as the snow fell from the sky.
Yeah, Yukine loved snow.
A/N - This is for Yukine Week 2016, Day 1 - Loyalty or Snow. But I'm putting this up on one day late. It's already up on my tumblr carrotcouple. You can go check it out if you'd like too! Happy Yukine Week you guys!