The Story of Ittoki Otoya I
Just by looking at him, it was difficult to tell that Ittoki Otoya suffered from bullying at school. He always had a smile on his face in public and practically radiated happiness every day. But nobody was perfect, and even Otoya had a few things that other people, especially his fellow elementary school classmates, would tease him about.
They would tease him occasionally when he did something embarrassing, like when he fell asleep in class or if he tripped over something and fell flat on his face. Luckily for Otoya, those remarks died quickly as people forgot and moved on. However, there was one thing that stuck with Otoya and brought him a lot of pain.
It was the fact that Otoya was adopted.
None of the children remembered who first found out that the boy was adopted, but all Otoya knew was that one day, a trio of boys began to bully him because his parents were not related to him by blood. The three bullies would sneer at him when they passed him in the hallways, and if no one else was nearby, they would throw hurtful jibes at him and laugh cruelly as Otoya struggled to keep up his happy facade.
Today was one of those days where Otoya was unfortunate to run into the bullies after school. The redhead was just walking out to the playground where all the kids were waiting for their parents to pick them up when Ootori Eiichi and his gang stopped him in an empty hallway.
Eiichi's mouth curled up in a cruel smirk. "So, have you found out why your parents left you yet?"
The shorter boy with pale hair and gray eyes next to him scoffed. "I thought it was obvious. How can anyone stand being around him? He's annoying."
The third boy leaned against the wall, black hair partially covering face. He gazed out a nearby window with gold eyes, apparently uninterested in the scene.
Eiichi laughed. "Maybe that's why, Nagi, but give Ittoki a chance to explain. Unless he still doesn't know?" The taunt was obvious in the brown-haired boy's tone.
Otoya clenched his hands into fists as he struggled to suppress the wave of emotions that rose in his chest. He would not give the three of them the satisfaction of seeing him cry. "Why can't you just leave me alone? What did I ever do to you?"
Nagi snickered. "We have to make sure annoying people like you stay away from other people."
"Of course." Eiichi ran a hand through his hair. "Seriously, people like you should give up already. Not even your parents wanted you."
Those last words threatened to break the dam that blocked all of Otoya's emotions. Did his parents really end up in a car accident because they didn't want him anymore? What if they didn't die at all? What if they were actually still alive somewhere, not even caring about the son who ended up in the orphanage several years ago?
The wall that Otoya had built was crumbling. His eyes grew wet as tears welled up, and he couldn't stop them this time. He hated Eiichi and Nagi for making him feel this way, and hated himself for letting their words affect him. At last, the bullies would get the satisfaction of seeing him break down.
"What are you doing?"
Eiichi and Nagi whipped around, eyes narrowing at the two new arrivals. The black-haired boy's expression didn't change as he tilted his head slightly. Otoya blinked through the tears in his eyes to see the two who were walking their way.
The two boys looked identical with navy-blue hair that stuck out at the ends and sea-blue eyes. They were at the same height, and had similar looks of anger on their faces. Otoya probably would have gawked at them more if he wasn't in such a serious situation.
One of the twins stood directly in front of Otoya, blocking him from the bullies' view. They were both slightly taller than the redhead, effective creating a wall between him and the trio.
"What have you done?" The one that stood next to the twin in front of Otoya snapped at Eiichi and Nagi.
"We were just talking, that's all." Nagi sniffed disdainfully, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"If you were just talking, then why is he about to cry?"
"Who knows?" Eiichi waved his hand dismissively. "He just started crying out of nowhere. Probably remembered that he was dumped by his parents."
The twins' eyes narrowed simultaneously. "Just leave, Eiichi!" the same twin spat, "You make me sick!"
Eiichi growled. "That's my line, Ichinose. Don't think this is over." With that, he turned and stomped away, followed by Nagi and the black-haired boy. Golden eyes glanced at Otoya almost apologetically before the boy turned his head and walked away.
"Ahhhh! He makes me so angry!" The twin who had done all the talking ran a hand through his messy hair. The other, who had been silent, turned to face Otoya. The redhead kept his head bowed, not wanting them to see the tears that were running down his cheeks.
A gentle hand patted him on the head, softly ruffling Otoya's red locks. One of them asked if he was okay, and Otoya completely lost it.
He grabbed the nearest twin in a suffocating hug, buried his face in the cotton shirt, and bawled his eyes out. The person in his arms stiffened at first but gradually relaxed and hugged him back, rubbing soothing circles on his back. Someone else was murmuring comforting words, and a sense of reassurance settled in Otoya's mind.
Even though the twins were complete strangers to him, Otoya felt completely safe under the protective embrace and consoling words.
