Chapter 12
The blizzard had been brutal, unrelenting in its dumping of snow to completely cover everything under a heavy blanket of white. The wind had brought down trees and power poles, buried smaller homes and animals that had to be rescued by neighbors, or the city officials, but after only a couple of days, the town had finally dug itself out. It had taken some time, but with the city, as well as many of the farming families all working together, the roads had been cleared and everything seemed to be getting back to normal.
Even for Atsushi and Tatsuki.
School had been suspended because of the blizzard, but that didn't mean that they could just lounge around and do nothing. The farm needed tending to and while Atsushi cared for the animals, taking an extra minute to make sure little Maiubo was alright, Tatsuki used the tractor to plow out the drive. He shoveled out the porch and cleared off the stairs, spreading out a bit of salt to make sure neither he, nor Tatsuki would slip and once everything was done, ranging from caring for the animals to clearing snow, they happily would sit inside and sip hot cocoa. Both were happy, content to relax and let time pass them by, and once it had come time for the last few days of school to resume before their holiday break, their candy canes were perfect, decorated and a hit.
With the upcoming holiday gathering, dozens of candy canes had been hung on nearly every doorway and handed out to nearly every student. There was such a demand for them, that Atsushi and Tatsuki had to enlist the help of the whole baking club just to make enough. They oversaw the process while the others made them and with their procedure down pat, candy canes were being churned out dozens at a time until the whole school smelt of fresh peppermint and warm sugar and everyone loved it; Mostly everyone.
Tatsuki let out a huge sigh as she thumbed through the candy canes that were ready to be decorated, being careful not to break them as she delicately wrapped the green ribbon and peppermint leaves around each stalk. For the last three days, her sinuses were unable to smell anything besides the peppermint. It had permeated her clothes, her hair, even her skin had an airy tinge of mint to it. She very much wanted to smell other things, but most of all, she wanted back the ability to smell Atsushi's cologne, which was how she usually knew he was on approach. It was his scent, what she associated with him, but now that her whole world was nothing, but peppermint, she had no idea that her 6'10, purple haired boyfriend was standing right behind her.
"They look nice, Muro-Chin."
At the sudden voice and large hands on her shoulders, Tatsuki jumped, nearly dropping the candy cane in her hands that she fumbled to try and keep ahold of. For some reason, the candy cane had suddenly turned into a bouncing ball and every time she tried to grasp it, it jumped up into the air again. She was starting to panic that she was going to drop it, but as it came down, this time, it landed in a large palm and stayed.
"Careful, Muro-Chin. It would be a waste if it dropped." Atsushi said dully, softly smiling as he looked down at her with love in his eyes.
Tatsuki started to breathe again, "Thanks, Atsu. That was close." She sighed.
"Sure... How come you're so tense today? You're really stiff." He said as he set the candy cane down gently and lightly began to massage her shoulders.
"I'm not tense, just busy." She said, sighing once more as she rested her hands down on the counter.
"No... Pretty sure you're tense." He said, gently pressing his fingers into the meat of her shoulders to try to loosen up the tension.
Tatsuki's throat exhaled with a groan, "Alright. Alright... Maybe I am tense. It's just there's so much to do with this upcoming gathering and getting all these candy canes made that I just feel spent. I can't even smell anything besides peppermint right now." She sighed and hung her head.
"It is tiring making all these, but it'll be worth it, don't you think?" He asked, ceasing his gentle massage much to Tatsuki's displeasure.
"I hope so. They seem real popular, but I just wanna make sure that this gathering goes off without a hitch." She said.
"It will and that's because you're at the helm. This is gonna be the best holiday thing ever." He said with a smile.
Tatsuki couldn't help, but smile up at him, how his voice was child-like and innocent with his words. There was nothing to do, but trust him and believe him and whether he saw it, or not, she knew he was right.
"It will. It's gonna be a lot of fun and a great way to ring in the holidays." She said, standing up to lean back against his chest.
"I even got Muro-Chin something. Do you want it now, or later?" He asked, his voice soft and teasing as his arms snaked around her waist to hold her back against him.
Tatsuki immediately blushed, "Y-You what?... You got me something? Atsu-... Why did you do that?" She asked, her eyes wide as she watched his hands release her.
Free of his arms, she turned around to look up at him as he slipped a hand into his cardigan pocket and pulled out a small red box that was wrapped with green ribbon. It wasn't a large box, rather long and narrow than square and it was only the length of his hand from the tip of his fingers to the heel of his palm.
"Atsu-... What is it?" She breathed, unable to look away from the box as she reached for it, but it was pulled out of her reach.
"Do you want it now, or later? I can always hang onto it until tonight when Uncle and I come over for dinner." Atsushi teased with a mischievous grin.
Tatsuki pouted up at him, "I want it now." She mumbled and blushed.
"Are you sure?" He nearly sang.
"Yes." She grunted and crossed her arms.
Atsushi's shoulders rattled with a silent laugh, "Alright, Muro-Chin, but only because that pout is way too cute." He said with a bow of his head to plant a soft kiss to her hair covered forehead.
She wanted to continue pouting, to keep her bottom lip stuck out like a petulant child, but the way he was looking at her with a subtle twinkle in his eye and that soft, child-like smile was making it difficult. Her mouth tensed up and she attempted to muscle passed it, but ultimately, her own smile broke through as she took the delicately wrapped gift from his hand.
"What is it?" She asked, taking a moment to admire the wrapping, which was done very nicely and giving her the inkling that he had had it done for him.
"Open it." He said.
Tatsuki's smile widened for a moment as she started to carefully remove the ribbon, slipping a finger through the crease of the paper and tearing it open to reveal a plain, cream colored box with no markings, or words. It was textured as if it was made from the bark of a tree and the top was slipped over the bottom like a cap that she easily eased up to reveal the present inside.
The moment she laid her eyes on it, she softly gasped, placing her fingers over her lips as if it would help to stifle it, but it did nothing. She was too enamored with the long hair pin, how it was topped with a purple jewel that was accented with a small dangle of more baubles that was all colors of the rainbow. It was inlaid with the golden visage of lush vines against glossy black and as she picked it up, she finally started to breathe again.
"Atsushi-... It's beautiful. Where did you get it?" She asked, never taking her eyes off the elegant hair pin as she gently touched the dangle of beads.
"That's supposed to be a secret, Muro-Chin. Do you like it? I didn't know what you wanted, so I kinda looked around for awhile until I saw this." He said, carefully taking it from her hands and placing his hand on her shoulder to coax her to turn around.
"I love it, Atsu. It's wonderful. I'll make sure to wear it tonight when you guys come over." She said with a genuine smile, standing still as Atsushi gathered her hair and twisted its length up into a sloppy bun before sinking the hair pin down to keep it in place.
As Tatsuki turned back around to face him, a lock of hair fell free of the gathered bun to joined her swept bangs that kept her left eye shrouded from view. She tucked it behind her ear as she blushed, shifting her gaze away to help her keep some composure, but his knuckle softly rapped against her chin, making her look back up at him and his delicate smile.
However, as they shuffled closer together for the possibility of sharing a kiss, the metallic slide of a tray being placed on the counter startled them both back into reality as they realized they were in the kitchen and working to make a hoard of candy canes to put up all over the school.
"Here's more candy canes, Tatsuya. They're freshly cooled." Said one of the girls in their club as she wiped off her hands on a towel over her shoulder.
"Right... Thank you. How many more are there?" Tatsuki asked, softly clearing her throat as she and Atsushi fell back into their tasks of decorating and making sure the others were handling the hot sugar properly.
"Um... a couple dozen I think. We've gone through all the ingredients for the day." She said.
"Alright. Have the last batch get pulled into canes and we'll be done. You guys can start taking the finished candy canes to the gym so they can be hung up." Tatsuki said with a nod and a smile.
The girl returned the smile before heading off, leaving her to return to decorating the candy canes with the peppermint leaf ribbons and carefully setting them down into the large box with the rest of the finished canes. One after another, she intricately wrapped each cane with the prepared adornments and as the box was near full, another girl from the baking club placed down an empty one before hefting the full box up and carting it off to the gym. Their system was a well oiled machine and after finishing with the last of the candy canes after a couple more hours of work, Tatsuki placed it into the box with a relieved smile across her lips.
However, as she made to lift up the box, Atsushi beat her to it and easily lifted it up into his arms before motioning with his head for her to follow him. She smiled as she cleaned off her hands and started to walk alongside him towards the gym, admiring how the school was ablaze with color and holiday cheer. Every student was smiling wide and exchanging gifts, wishing each other their best and chatting it up about how excited they were for the holiday gathering. Nearly all enjoyed their fresh candy canes and getting to see their hard work go so appreciated, Tatsuki could only smile wider as they entered the gym.
Having spent nearly the whole day and then some in the kitchen making candy canes, they hadn't gotten to see how much the gym had changed. The planning committee had pulled out all the stops, having run long bands of red and green ribbons across the gym, zigzagging from the stage, all the way to the door. They were wrapped around thick cords that hung soft white lights that made it look like a starry sky, hiding the unsightly open rafters of the ceiling in favor of something more beautiful. The stage was framed with white runs of fabric and covered with puffy white cotton where couples and friends could have their pictures taken in front of the winter wonderland backdrop. Tables had been set up on either side of the painted court on the gym floor, where they had been covered with festive table cloths and hung up all over the walls were huge snowflakes that were lit and glowing.
"Wow... This looks amazing!" Tatsuki beamed as her smile grew to its full size.
"It looks like outside, but without the bitter cold." Atsushi said, starting for the staging table where the other boxes of candy canes were set.
Tatsuki chuckled, "That is true... Do you wanna get our pictures taken at the holiday gathering tomorrow?" She asked with a quick point up at the stage.
"We can. I might actually send one to my mom. She probably wants to know how I'm doing." Atsushi said as he set the box down on the table next to the others.
"You haven't spoken to her?" She asked.
Atsushi shook his head, "Not really. I'll send her a text every so often, but that's about it. I just... I just wish she would've stood up for me when my dad shipped me off."
"I understand. I bet she'd like a picture of us. Does she know you and I are a couple?" She asked, smiling up at him.
"Yeah. She said that's wonderful and that's the last time I heard from her." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Tatsuki smiled up at him for a moment before looking around to admire the decorations and listen to the cheer, feeling at ease and peaceful with the day. There wasn't a worry in either of their minds, wasn't a care that nagged at them constantly; They were just comfortable, content with how things were, but when a shattering crunch broke through the pleasant atmosphere of the gym, nearly all smiles vanished as Atsushi and Tatsuki turned to look towards the gym door.
"It's agonizingly festive in here." Shirō crooned out with a grimace on his face as he ground his foot down onto the floor where a candy cane had been shattered to dust.
At the very sight of the boy, Atsushi's brows furrowed hard as his fists clenched, but no one in the gym said a thing as they just watched the leader of the pack with his two friends whom looked more frightened than anything at his side.
"I have no idea why any of you are smiling and cheerful. Most of you have shit to worry about." Shirō continued as he glared and scanned the gym.
Everyone just glanced at each other.
"Like you," he pointed at a boy on a ladder hanging snowflakes, "Your family's crop was worthless. Come to find out, you didn't bother fertilizing it." Shirō said with a hard furrow in his brow.
The boy reeled, "W-What?... B-But it was all healthy crop! What do you mean it was worthless?"
"Too small. We didn't even bother sending it off. Least the cows liked it. That's about all it was good for." Shirō scoffed and crossed his arms.
"That was high grade soy! We took care of it just like it's supposed to be taken care of!" The boy snapped, climbing down the ladder to lessen the risk of falling.
"You obviously did something wrong. The beans were sour. That's why you're supposed to fertilize." Shirō said as he waved the boy off.
"We did!" The boy quickly defended.
"Not from what I saw." Shirō smirked crookedly.
As the boy growled angrily and balled his fists, a couple of his friends urged him to calm down as Shirō shifted his attention to someone else, a much taller and stronger target that on several occasions, hadn't failed to stand up against him. He had been a thorn in his side ever since the day he had arrived and despite being shorter by a great deal, he didn't seem to have trouble standing his ground.
"Wanna know what else I found out?" Shirō asked snidely as he stared right at Atsushi whom was furiously glaring back at him.
"I don't really think it matters. You're just here to spoil the day." Atsushi said firmly.
"Not my fault if my family is paying for a certain product and getting a lesser standard. Turns out more than one of you have been lying." Shirō maliciously laughed low in his throat.
The gym was filled with low murmurs as they all regarded each other.
"Guess who's been using illegal compost on our crops." Shirō said, never once looking away from Atsushi's glare.
"Illegal in whose eyes?" Atsushi asked quietly.
"Under my family's contract with your uncle, he isn't allowed to use his own compost, but he did anyways." Shirō said with a scowl.
"I've seen the contract. No where, does it say that he isn't allowed to use his own compost." Atsushi growled, releasing a long and heated breath out through his nose.
"Funny; The ones at my house say otherwise." Shirō started to smirk again.
Atsushi huffed, "I don't believe you."
"Whatever. Just know that your uncle's farm is now open for my family to sue for the cost of the crop; Somewhere in the range of $278,000 dollars worth. I hope your uncle can pay that... Oops. Maybe he can't because guess who pays him." Shirō cackled.
Atsushi bared his teeth, "Don't ever come near my uncle's farm, or you won't be leaving." He growled angrily.
"You can't do a thing to stop it. Your uncle fucked up; Plain and simple." Shirō spat out.
"He did nothing of the sort! You've been illegally going onto other peoples' property looking for reasons to void contracts so your family can force them out! You're the worst of the worst!" Tatsuki snapped, thrusting a finger in the boy's direction.
"You aren't exempt from this Little Miss Himuro. I know for a fact your family's fields are ten feet over your property line, which put those lines on property owned by my family. Since those lines weren't harvested by my family and sold off, you owe us the value of those crops. What is it; $50,000, or so? That must suck knowing the great and powerful agricultural lawyer wasn't even good enough to watch his own back." Shirō grinned.
"You don't know anything! Atsu and I saw you when you were trespassing on our land and those land surveys were from 20 years ago! The lines have been redone since then!" Tatsuki fired back, her eyes angry and jaw tense with rage.
"Don't be so sure about that, Himuro. All I need to do is let it slip to my dad and all you hold outs are in the crosshairs. None of you would be surviving right now if it wasn't for my family and this is going to open up a whole world of progression for this lousy little town." Shirō scowled.
"If you want progress, move to a city. I'll even recommend one to you, but leave this town alone. It's just fine the way it is." Atsushi said, taking a half step closer to Shirō and glowering down at him with fury etched onto his face.
"Says the useless city trash that just showed up one day. You have zero say where this town is concerned, so step off and stop butting into where you don't belong. You'll do better to leave and go back to where you came from, Freak." Shirō spat up at him.
"I'm not going anywhere. This place is my home and I won't just turn my back and let you destroy it." Atsushi said.
Shirō's eyes briefly narrowed, "You're just a speed bump; Nothing more than a hiccup that I can't seem to get rid of, but luckily for you, I might have something in mind."
"Bring it." Atsushi said as his scowl deepened even more.
"You and me in a one-on-one. Right here. If you win, I back off, but if I win, you leave town." Shirō said, drawing in a deep breath as he started to smile.
"You don't stand a chance!-" Tatsuki tried, but silenced herself when Atsushi held his hand up.
"Which sport?" Atsushi demanded.
"What else besides basketball?" Shirō said with a crooked smirk.
"You do realize whom you're challenging right?" Atsushi asked, drawing in a steady breath that filled his chest.
"Oh, I'm well aware, but I think I've got a shot. You aren't so impressive that you can't be stopped by someone smaller." Shirō said as his crooked smirk began to fade into a scowl.
"It's happened already, so don't think I don't know how to counteract it." Atsushi said as his fists clenched once more.
"I guess we'll see. Do you accept my challenge?" Shirō asked.
"When and where?" Atsushi said, his voice stone cold and firm.
"This gym after the break. We'll kick off the new year with a bang." Shirō said.
"Fine. Just don't chicken out at the last second." Atsushi said, going so far as to hold his hand out for a handshake.
Shirō just glared up for another moment, but instead of taking Atsushi's hand, he just scowled and turned around to leave. He waved for his lackeys to follow, neither ever having said a word as they just obeyed and under everyone's gaze, the trio left. No one knew what to say as they all regarded each other and after several moments of hushed murmurs and brief glances, the others all looked at the only one capable of holding the boy off.
"Lay him flat, Murasakibara. He's gotta be stopped." Said one boy; The one from the ladder whose face was heavy with worry.
"He can't keep doing this. If this shuts him up, you've gotta beat him." Said a girl.
"This is our chance to finally beat him down and one of the Generation of Miracles is gonna do it. We have a shot." Said a boy.
"You can do it, right, Murasakibara?"
"Please win... For us."
"We don't care that you're one of the Generation of Miracles. Please help us."
The gym was filled with the other students' pleas, their hopes and dreams being piled onto his shoulders and making him heavier. He could feel each one of them being laid upon him, making it seem as if the gym was closing in around him, each wall laden with spikes, but without even having to look down, feeling her touch against his arm was a comfort and made the murmuring pleas disappear.
"Atsu-... Are you sure about this?" Tatsuki asked, her voice quiet and her visible right eye curved with worry.
Atsushi placed his hand over hers and grasped it, "I have to. He can't win against absolute height. All his petty ideals are made obsolete by me." He said, his tone distant and ominous as he shifted his gaze over towards the retracted basketball hoop on the far end of the gym.
"Atsu... He's sly. He might have something up his sleeve." She said, curling her fingers around to clutch his hand.
Atsushi nodded, "Probably. I'll stay on my guard, Muro-Chin, but if this gets him off our back, then I have to."
Tatsuki nodded, "Okay, Atsu."
He finally started to breathe again as he looked down at her, seeing her still worried eye as she just stared at their joined hands with her shoulders up like shields. She was anxious, scared even and as he scanned the room, he saw that every ounce of cheer that had been there, was gone.
It made him angrier.
"Muro-Chin, I'm gonna head home and talk to Uncle Hiroshi. I'll see you tonight at your house when we come over." Atsushi said, reaching over to tilt her head up so she would look at him.
"Okay, Atsu. You gonna be okay?" She asked quietly as the others began to slowly return to work.
Atsushi nodded, "Yeah. Don't worry too much, Muro-Chin. It's gonna be okay... I promise." He said as he rested his hand against her cheek.
Tatsuki nodded and lightly smiled, "I know. I'll see you later, Atsu. Love you." Her smile broadened.
Atsushi wasn't able to resist smiling back as he leaned down to softly kiss her lips before heading for the door, not even looking at any of the other students as they watched him leave. He hadn't realized it in the tension of the air, but his heart was beating far harder than he thought it should. He was a basketball player, due to the insistence of his father, but having played so long and so well, there was no forgetting it. He knew how to level snobby kids like that out; Knew how to take them down a peg, or two without having to put forth much effort. He was used to it; Was good at it, but not knowing exactly why Shirō had wanted to have a one-on-one, he was actually nervous.
He had managed to catch the bus, getting off at the end of his uncle's driveway and trudged through the crunching snow towards the house. He saw the old truck parked in its usual spot, telling him that his uncle was home and as he pounded his toes down onto the porch to tap off the clinging snow, the front door opened up on its own.
"What're you doing home so early, Kiddo?" Hiroshi asked, stepping aside as Atsushi ducked and stepped through the door.
"Needed to leave before I did something stupid." Atsushi grunted out as he took off his boots and set them aside.
"Huh?... What're you talking about?" Hiroshi asked, shutting the door.
"Shirō and I faced off, so that was fun." Atsushi said, pulling off his scarf and coat and hanging them up.
"If you tell me you got suspended for punching the little shit, I won't be mad." Hiroshi said plainly as he crossed his arms and arced a brow.
"No... Kinda wish I did though. I guess he's been snooping around for breaks in contracts so his family can void them." Atsushi said with a huff.
"That little shit... I fucking knew it. He actually have anything?" Hiroshi asked, his voice instantly changing to a sharp sting with his sudden anger.
"It sounds like it, but I don't know how legit it is. He says using your own compost was against the contract, so yours is void." Atsushi said, slipping on his house shoes before padding for the kitchen with his uncle right behind him.
"What?... That's bullshit! The contract doesn't specify what kind of fertilizer to use, so long as I fertilize. That little troll doesn't know what the hell he's talking about." Hiroshi growled.
"It sounded like he did. Your farm isn't in trouble is it, Uncle Hiroshi?" Atsushi asked, glancing back over his shoulder before opening the fridge with the want of something to eat.
"No... Over my dead body am I gonna lose this place because of some punk ass kid. I'll talk with Tatty's dad tonight when we go over for dinner." Hiroshi said as he released a long sigh and rubbed the meat of his shoulder.
"Okay." Atsushi mumbled with a nod.
"How did you two face off? He try and pick a fight?" Hiroshi asked, following his nephew into the kitchen as Atsushi pulled out the jug of milk.
Atsushi held up a finger as he chugged several huge gulps of milk right from the bottle. No matter how many times he had some, the freshness and creamy taste was nothing short of spectacular. It was soothing the savage beast and with one more pull, he capped the bottle and put it back into the fridge.
"Guess it depends on your definition of a fight. He wants to play a one-on-one after the break in the school gym." Atsushi said dully as he started to rummage through the fridge.
"A one-on-one? Does he not know that you'd demolish him? What the hell is he thinking?" Hiroshi asked, furrowing his brows as he pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down.
Atsushi shrugged, "Who knows. He seems confident, so maybe there's a challenge there. Won't know till it's time I guess."
"I don't trust the little snot. Don't let your guard down, Atsushi. I don't want any phone calls from the hospital, or the police." Hiroshi said with a laced growl.
"What do you mean?" Atsushi asked.
"I don't wanna hear that you're in the hospital, and I don't wanna here that you put him in the hospital. Just kick his ass at some basketball and push him aside." Hiroshi said with a point at the tall boy.
"It shouldn't be a problem. I doubt he even knows how to run any plays." Atsushi said, finding some leftover pie and deciding that it would be his snack.
"Still... Don't drop your guard. That little bitch is a crafty one, so don't give him any openings." Hiroshi said.
"I won't." Atsushi said as he sat down at the kitchen table with utensils in hand.
"Finally heard what that box thing was." Hiroshi said after a moment as he pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes.
"Yeah?" Atsushi hummed before stuffing a bite into his mouth.
"It's a GPS surveyor; Just like we thought it was. Looks like someone was trying to run line surveys on the property." Hiroshi said with a scowl.
"Shirō?" He stuffed another bite into his mouth.
"Wouldn't be surprised. They're still analyzing it, so we'll know soon enough. Don't let the brat get to you, Kiddo. Just do what you gotta do and then move on." Hiroshi said, erasing his scowl to actually smile at his nephew.
"I won't. I just don't want him bothering Muro-Chin and I. Every time he shows up, Muro-Chin takes it pretty hard." Atsushi said.
"Well, that's why she has you, Kiddo." Hiroshi smiled even wider.
"Yeah. I told her I'd see her tonight. I think she understood." Atsushi said with another bite.
"Did she smile at you before you left?" Hiroshi asked, resting his elbow down on the table with his head in his hand.
"Yeah." Atsushi said plainly.
"Then you're probably good. She's not a dumb girl, so I doubt there's any underlying meaning." Hiroshi huffed a smirk.
"I know. I just don't like it when she's sad and she's only ever sad when he comes around. It makes me angry." Atsushi said, scrapping up a large bite that consisted mostly of crust that he immediately popped into his mouth.
Hiroshi's crooked smirk grew, "Sounds like you two are real serious. Who'd a thought you'd come all the way out here and find yourself a girlfriend... My farmhand no less."
Atsushi put his fork down, "Coming out here was a fresh start for me. Back home, I was followed by my reputation and I didn't like it. I stood out too much and people wouldn't leave me alone. Out here?... I'm just Atsushi Murasakibara; Just a tall kid living on a farm. I'm not the monster of the Generation of Miracles. I'm not scary, or evil; I'm just plain old me and not only does Muro-Chin see it, but the other kids at school don't care. Coming out here was the best thing I could have done."
"I'm kind of inclined to agree with you, Kiddo. It's been nice having you here. I don't know how long you're supposed to stay, but you're more than welcome to stay for good if you want. The farm's never been in this good a shape and to be honest, it's nice to see that something good came from that rotting pile of useless flesh you call a father." Hiroshi said, his surprisingly gentle smile never even tripping at the mention of a man he detested.
Atsushi smiled, "I really do wanna stay, Uncle Hiroshi. I like it here better."
Hiroshi's smile widened as he reached out and set his hand down on Atsushi's shoulder with a slight grip to give it, giving it a firm pat before taking his hand back and resting it down on the table.
"It is better... With you here."
He hadn't had many chances to think about it with all that was going on; All the holiday planning, making candy canes and spending time with Tatsuki, but now that his uncle had said something, it was at the forefront of his mind. Ever since stepping off that train in a place he was unfamiliar with, he had been working from dawn to dusk trying to get used to it, trying to fall into step with everything else around him. It had all started out rough, rough enough where he felt as if he was going to trip, but when he thought he would be lost to the farm, he had been caught by not only one person, but two.
His uncle was a gruff man, but he had learned quickly that so long as he worked and worked well, his ears would stay attached to the side of his head. He was a man that didn't sugarcoat things, didn't beat around the bush as it where, but slowly throughout the months, he had seen a change in the man.
Instead of being that rough around the edges, hardworking man that he had first met, his uncle had begun to show a softer side; Smiling more often and even laughing when they were cooking dinner, or working together on the farm. He was a multi-layered man, complex, but Atsushi could see that it didn't matter whom his parentage was, it only mattered that they were related by blood and that meant, he loved him.
"I love you, Uncle Hiroshi. Thanks for taking me in." Atsushi said, smiling a bit wider at the man as sat up straight with a bit of shock.
"I uh-" he sighed and smiled, "I love you too, Kiddo. This is your home just as much as mine. We can look into getting you a bigger bed since it looks like you're staying for good." Hiroshi said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Atsushi's eyes widened, "R-Really?... I don't have to curl up anymore?"
"We'll make something work. If I've gotta build the frame myself, then order a long mattress, I will. It might take a month, or two, but the funds will show up and we'll make something happen." Hiroshi said.
"Thank you, Uncle Hiroshi. That means a lot. I know it's a bother with me being as tall as I am." Atsushi said, picking up his fork again to resume his consumption of pie.
However, before he could get a large bite stabilized on the silver utensil, it was snatched from his hand and the pie was picked up, being lifted over his head as it made its way make to the fridge.
"Hey!... I wanted that." Atsushi whined, watching as his uncle put the pie back in the fridge.
"We're going to dinner here soon. Don't spoil your appetite." Hiroshi said, shooting his nephew a sidelong glance as he shut the fridge door.
Atsushi arced an eyebrow, "Really?... Me? Spoil my appetite?... Since when?"
Hiroshi froze, "True, but you know how Tatty's mom can get when company is coming over. She always makes too much."
"I know. It's amazing." Atsushi daydreamed and smiled wide.
Hiroshi softly laughed, "Such a teenager," he mumbled to himself, "Go get cleaned up and we'll head over in a little bit."
As Hiroshi stepped out of the kitchen, Atsushi just sat and watched him go, still smiling at the idea of the amount of food he was going to have access to later in the evening. He felt good, like the weight that had been piled onto his shoulders after Shirō had taken his leave had been lifted off, leaving him feeling like he could fly. He felt so much better and that alone was a huge relief, as he didn't wish to go over to the Himuro home feeling heavy and grumpy. Knowing that his uncle truly did love him, and even wanted him to stay warmed him to the bone and as he looked around the kitchen, the kitchen where hundreds of meals had been cooked and consumed, the kitchen where he and Tatsuki had baked together and he had discovered a real love for her and baking, he smiled at his home that he swore he would defend.