DISCLAIMER: I do not own Attack on Titan
Tis the season to be freezing cold.
XI
Sosai was distracted.
In general, he could easily be distracted by the simplest of things. At the moment, his attention was heavily and intensely focused on one thing.
Isaac.
Sosai wasn't in the best of moods, considering his (for some reason the presence of the doctor demanded this possessive nature) Red was sick and he had not a clue how to fix it. He sat with her as she slept, or sometimes when she woke up for a moment, took one glance at him, then fell back asleep. He was worried. He didn't like it when Red was hurt.
Naowna and Tsukeru returned with Breino and the sweet smelling girl. With them they had a boy who resembled Tinker with glasses. They said he was a doctor. They said he could cure Red.
Sosai hated Isaac.
Such a feeling left him confused. He'd never held such an emotion towards someone or something. He'd only known fear. For once he was encountering something that left him uneasy and just a tad bit guilty. He didn't know Isaac. He just felt like he needed to hate him.
The word doctor sent a fresh jolt of fear and hatred through him. Every time Isaac checked Red's temperature or woke her up for some medicine, he felt the strong urge to-…to what? To throw something? Be violent? Hurt Isaac? Turn into a Ti-
"I'm sorry."
Sosai nearly fell out of his chair. He blinked, pushing his silver bangs out of his face to peer curiously at Isaac. The apprentice doctor was giving him a weary smile, "You've been glaring at me ever since I walked into the room."
He had? "Oh."
Awkward tension filled the air. Sosai ran a hand up his arms, as if to rub it away. Isaac was idly running a hand through one of the Laud sibling's medical bags. The siblings themselves had headed off to dinner but had promised to return. Tinker and Middy had left for the day, the blonde hastily calling they'd return in the morning. Breino and the girl-they said her name was Kisanna- were in the study.
The tension ticked at his neck. He breathed out reluctantly, "Who are you?"
Isaac glanced over at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. Sosai, despite not wanting to talk to Isaac at all, hesitantly changed the question, "Err-how long have you known Breino?"
There was a short silence before the doctor replied, "Since our childhood. I was his doctor."
Sosai twitched. Even Breino…
"If I'm bothering you," Isaac murmured, "you can tell me to leave."
Sosai felt that small pool of guilt build. Isaac was nice, kind of like Breino and Kisanna. He didn't warrant this strange hate he felt for him. And furthermore, he was helping Red. He was making Red well again. Shouldn't that make him happy?
"You can stay." He said, just as quietly.
"You don't like me though." Isaac pointed out.
No, Sosai thought sourly, and I wish I knew why.
Isaac let loose an explosive sigh, startling the human shifter, "It seems we've started out on the wrong foot. I'd like to start over, if I've offended you." He smiled, extending a hand, "My name is Isaac Mabry."
Sosai hesitated before clasping the other boy's hand, ignoring the alarm bells in his head, "Sosai."
"Just Sosai?" the doctor asked.
With no response, Isaac's smile disappeared, "I see…"
"Was Breino sick?" Sosai asked, recognizing the air returning to its awkward tension. Any conversation would do to keep it away and from choking him.
Isaac jolted, looking entirely surprised as he pushed up his glasses, "Oh, no not physically. Emotionally, though…" he trailed off, staring at the medicine bag.
Sosai tilted his head, blinking at the vague reply. A coldness settled in his stomach, "…was it because of his blood?"
To his relief, Isaac shook his head, "No. He's as healthy as a horse, but…a lot of people didn't accept who he was. It affected him and his mother." He offered a grim smile, as if to reassure Sosai it wasn't as terrible as it sounded, "I remember the first time I met the guy. He ran straight into my old man's clinic, pleading for a cure."
Sosai felt himself frown. He could hardly imagine someone as strong and nice as Breino groveling at someone's feet. "Did you turn him away?"
Isaac grimaced, staring sadly out the window, "At first. There's nothing we can do for his predicament."
The cold truth settled in and Sosai felt like the words weren't just directed at Breino. He'd asked Red millions of times before- is there a way to be human?- but she'd glare at him and he wouldn't dare ask again. He was afraid the question upset her. But, in actuality, Sosai wanted nothing more to be normal.
He really wanted to hide in a closet now. He hadn't had a feeling like this since…since before he 'woke up'.
"His mother was under a lot of stress," Isaac continued softly, "Soon enough, he stopped coming for a cure for himself but his mother. We aren't therapists though."
He already knew this part of the story. It ached in his chest. "She killed herself."
The freckled boy sighed, running a hand over his forehead, "Yeah. I was worried about him. Every day I visited him and cheered him up. He eventually came back around. We've been friend's ever since."
The laughter of Kisanna and Breino echoed past the door, the blacksmith recounting a tale when Middy accidentally set her brother on fire. Sosai pursed his lips, "Whose Kisanna?"
Isaac chuckled, staring at the door fondly, "Oh, princess? That's a story. A few months after me and Breino became friends we see a carriage parading by. Saw Kisa crying inside next to this real stern faced guy."
"Her dad?"
"Yeah. She's the heiress of this real fancy company, you see. But she didn't want to be. You know what she said? She said she wanted to join the Stationary guard one day." Isaac finished with a snicker.
Sosai perked up, "Naowna wants to be in the Scouting Legion!"
Isaac blinked, "The short haired girl?" At the younger boy's nod he whistled, "Small world. Anyway, we decided to rescue her. Showed up in the dead of night to her house and sneaked her out. She didn't even know our names but she looked so darn happy. It became a regular thing. We became an unstoppable trio of friends…"
Sosai smiled as his mind couldn't help but imagine it. Breino strolling down the street, talking to Kisanna on his left, and Isaac chuckling over at his right. Kisanna would point at a stall and ask what it was and Breino would explain what it was selling and Isaac would buy the fruit. She'd taste it and love it and they'd do it over and over again every day.
He allowed his smile to wilt as he realized the unsaid word that followed that sentence, "…but?"
Isaac didn't respond for some time, staring at the floor as if it was the sole reason they were like this. "'Reino was suffering. My old man's a traveler. Kisa's dad found out. It was…hell. We managed to convince her dad to lighten up, but the damage was done. Breino was labeled a troublemaker, my father was ridiculed, and Kisanna moved away to live with her aunt in Trost. We had to split up. Funny how we meet up here of all places…."
Sosai digested the information. Breino left because of the people antagonizing him. Isaac left because his father wasn't respected anymore. Kisanna had to go because her dad didn't want her near them.
Now, by some miracle, they were here again.
"Will you stay?" he couldn't help but ask, because alongside his burning hatred for doctor there was this persistence of friendship with Isaac. It was almost like he hated one half of a person and liked the other. That and he didn't want to see Breino unhappy when his friend's had to go.
Isaac made eye contact with the human shifter. So many emotions passed through them before he made a hopeful smile, "If it's alright with you."
Sosai hesitated. "…Yes."
It seemed to mean the world to Isaac, who grinned, "Thank you."
"You're both so noisy." A disgruntled voice startled them. Sosai's head snapped to the bed where Red was sitting up, rubbing her head wearily. His sour thoughts completely evaporated. Red- his Red!- was okay. She was finally awake and talking again!
"Red!" He tackled her mid section, burying his head into her shirt, "I was worried!"
A sigh and a gentle pat of the head, a hand he missed so much, "I'm fine."
"Glad you're awake." The doctor chirped, "I'm Isaac Mabry, your temporary doctor."
"I see…" Another sigh, this one exasperated, "I've missed everything, apparently. Thank you."
Sosai jolted before turning his head to face Isaac. The words came reluctantly at first, but he meant them, "Thank you."
Isaac blinked in surprise before sheepishly pushing up his glasses, "Your welcome. Um, you will be bedridden for awhile longer though…"
"I understand." Red relaxed, reclining back onto her bed.
Sosai exhaled, happy to hear her heart beat again and hear her voice. Now that she was fully awake, the fireworks store could go back to normal. Isaac and Kisanna could join, too, even if he hated the former a bit. Kisanna seemed nice. She'd get along super well with Naowna.
Naowna, Tsukeru, Tinker, Middy, Breino, Kisanna, Isaac…
It was like a family. Naowna the intellectual older sibling. Tsukeru the friendly younger sibling. Tinker the sardonic brain's. Middy the hyperactive littlest member. Breino the kind gentlemen. Kisanna the polite princess. Isaac the humble doctor. Himself, the shy shifter. Red, the Captain.
Things were coming back together, slowly but surely...
"Sosai, you're crushing me."
He smiled, practically splitting his cheeks with how wide it was.
She'd just have to deal with it.
Manage Stories has brought me much needed time. I shall use it as an excuse. Sorry about the short chapter.
Well. I'm off to play violent shooting games. Chao.
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