[I cannot overstate how much it meant that you managed to get Komachi out of an otherwise awful situation. Thank you.]
[ufufufufu u can start praising me now]
[Right. Seems like all the talks about your prowess as a superstar isn't just empty talk. I really underestimated your abilities here.]
[cant u try a little harder?]
[Wow, incredible~ you really are a national-level idol. Exclamation mark.]
[uuuu]
[Was that enough?]
[not nearly enough! whats with the written exclamation mark?]
[I was trying as hard as I realistically could. Wasn't that enough?]
[no waayyyy u r the worst!]
[I've been told that before.]
[eeehhh well i didnt mean it]
[its a lie ok]
[Yeah, yeah. I get it. It's just an expression.]
[ye]
[u still didnt praise me tho]
[I did.]
[not enough]
[this requires a punishment!]
[Don't you think you're getting a bit too far ahead of yourself?]
[u said it meant a lot]
[prove it]
[I mean, okay. Fair enough, but I don't feel obligated to listen. Just tell me what you want, and I'll tell you if it can be done.]
[booooooring]
[u were supposed to say yes!]
[Right, so it won't be anything then.]
[Please stop trying to call me. I get it, just tell me already. I was joking.]
His heart beat so fast that he thought he'd pass out, his hands sweated enough that it didn't feel like the chilly air made him shiver and need a jacket to be outside. Still, having agreed to this, Hachiman had to push himself into being more or less okay with what was happening. Letting his body get used to the feeling of having eyes stare at him everywhere, to the sensation of holding onto the hand of the small boy that had saved his life.
"You're doing great." The blue-eyed boy murmured as they got off the public transport and joined the rest of the pedestrians on the street. He held onto Hachiman with his left hand, and held his twin sister with the right. Creating a small chain where both ends were trying really hard not to loon in each other's directions. Making it a little difficult to walk. "See?"
Hachiman wasn't sure who the little boy was talking to, but he just nodded while slowly releasing the air in his lungs to calm his nerves. He hated the feeling, and hated it more that he knew that he shouldn't feel this way. At least not then and there, when all he was doing was to take the kids out.
The problematic part came later. Or, rather, they headed toward that same problem on their own volition.
Damn it, Hoshino. Damn it, Saitou. And damn it, Hachiman. Why did you accept? Just to keep the idol happy? Stop messing around!
Well… That, and the fact that he agreed with Saitou (Miyako) in this. He had to move on, put what had happened in the apartment behind him. He didn't want to have a panic attack every time he saw Aqua, and would hate it if a random little child or a hoodie-wearing guy triggered it as well. He was doing this for himself, as much as he did it to thank Hoshino. It just so happened that agreeing to circumstances that he didn't initiate put him in a frame of mind of "let's get over with this", instead of "I can avoid doing it". Which… He didn't know if he helped him or not, but hey. Progress is progress.
"Do you want to sit down for a moment?" The boy asked after crossing another block, tightening his hold on Hachiman's hand for a moment to let him know he was being talked to.
"I'm fine." Hachiman replied, rougher than he intended. "We'll sit around at the movies anyway."
"If you say so. Feel free to let me know if you need a moment." The kid replied with that strangely mature wording of his. Hachiman had heard him talk for a bit while they were at Saitou's place, so it was starting to dawn on Hachiman that the boy was simply like that all the time. And he didn't know what to make of that.
No one in the Hoshino family was remotely normal, it looked like. Because even if the twin girl had mostly stayed quiet for most of the way…
"Are you sure that mama's gonna be there when we arrive? Like, she's not gonna be late, or will get lost, or something urgent will come up and she's not gonna show up?"
…It looked like she had developed a HUGE mother complex. Enough for the two kids, at least.
Not that Hachiman could blame her, given the time they realistically had to spend with her and the absence of a father. It just felt like he was seeing something he shouldn't have.
"Yes, she'll be there. Miyako-san called him when they were wrapping up." The blond boy pointed at Hachiman with his chin, patiently answering his twin's question while she pouted and lagged behind a bit. Only keeping up because she still held hands with her brother. "She'll get there faster than us."
"Ogei…"
Hmmm, well. She could be forgiven thanks to her cuteness. But it looked to Hachiman like that dependance on her mom would have to be checked on, sooner or later.
"Kaw!" The screech and the sound of flapping wings made Hachiman flinch, pull the boy a little closer to him as his face snapped in the direction of one of the buildings on the other side of the road. Where a black bird landed and made the others have to shift to give it room.
The birds watched him. Not all of them, not all the time; but they were watching him.
"What? Are you scared of crows?" The blue-eyed little boy asked, using the same deadpan as before. That is, until he rubbed Hachiman's hand with two of his fingers. Getting a little surprised in turn. "What are these scars? Are they related?"
"Scars?" The red-eyed twin turned to look at Hachiman, but he just grunted in return.
The little boy pulled Hachiman's hand a little to the front, letting his twin see.
"Pecking scars."
"How would you know?" Hachiman growled, trying to control his breathing and the embarrassment of getting scared by a bird of all things.
"Internet." The boy replied without missing a beat.
"What… What kind of stuff does your mom let you watch?"
The boy took a moment to consider the question.
"She's usually busy with something, even when we tag along and watch her manage one talent or another personally. So as far as she's concerned, I'm watching 'educational' animal videos."
Damn, that was the most scripted response that Hachiman had ever heard. Anyone else would've taken his words for granted, and thus wouldn't feel the need to ask any further about the topic.
People would think 'oh, Saitou Miyako' because of the boy's little hint, and would go on with their day. Perhaps wondering how this little guy was so eloquent, but if asked about it…
"You sure are a smart one, huh."
"I am something of a child prodigy, yes."
…That'd be the answer they get.
"You didn't answer the question." The little girl now looked at Hachiman. Which might've been considered progress if her voice hadn't been accusatory. "Are you scared of crows?"
Hachiman looked away.
"Those birds don't like me very much." He stated while glancing at the roofs again, seeing a few of the birds move to not be left behind.
They'd been appearing since before he met Yui again, but talking about them made Hachiman feel a little paranoid about a possible attack. Especially since they apparently didn't like Haruno very much either.
Which, okay. Fair enough. But why rope Hachiman in the same category as her? What did he do to make it to their shit list?
It didn't help that he'd apparently met the children's father because of the attack on his hands. Which was yet another can of worms the lid of which he'd been keeping tightly shut. Only peeking inside for a bit at a time, trying to figuring things out on his own.
"Is that so…" The little girl sounded a bit amused when she looked away. "Maybe God hates you."
The idea made Hachiman still in his thoughts, but it was something that he'd contemplated enough that he didn't actually flinch from the accusation.
"I know." He sighed without thinking, tightening his stomach and screwing his eyes shut for a moment. Reigning his feelings in; in spite of the knot in his throat. "I know that very well."
The birds remained silent, merely observing. There was no celestial revelation, no fateful hint or a portion of providence manifesting. Only the cruel silence of a world that did not care.
"Ummm…" The little boy didn't know what to say, even when Hachiman chanced a glance that made his heartbeat quicker. It seemed like the twins were exchanging a look, with Ruby looking either worried or mad. Hachiman couldn't really tell.
Well, too much pessimism for two growing children. Way to go, Hachiman.
"Listen, that's… Simply how life goes." He sighed, really wishing that Yui would be with him then and there to be able to smooth the edges. Soften the blow he unwittingly inflicted in these poor kids' innocence. "Things go wrong, the world spins. It's simply… What did that novel call it? Right. The path of least resistance."
"Uh…"
"Ah, well, don't tell your mom I said that." Hachiman sighed, choosing to stop digging himself into a bigger mess while he still could. "That's just my opinion, of course."
An opinion founded on first-hand evidence, founded on data collected year after year of his life. After recounting the events that always led him to square one.
In other words, and in spite of how heavy it felt to make that joke…
Source: Me.
"Right." The little boy said. "You must have your reasons."
"Yeah…"
He didn't know what was worse: The fact that the kids fell silent instead of asking more questions, or the fact that he'd feel like they'd be judging him if they were a little older to understand what he was saying… Scratch that, Hachiman already felt judged enough! If they were more mature, Hachiman would probably be too bothered by the sensation to keep going. So maybe he should be grateful they were just kids?
He looked at the birds again, but they still didn't reveal anything to him. So he was forced to put up with it until they got to the cinema. Where the next challenge appeared: Cutting through the silence that had stretched for a bit too long for comfort.
"Huh… Do you guys want anything?" Hachiman awkwardly pointed at the popcorns with his thumb, hoping that they wouldn't suddenly get back their child-curiosity to resume the previous conversation.
"Where is mama?" Ruby asked, looking around the place with more energy than Hachiman had seen her have since they left the apartment.
"We'll meet her when we get to the movie, the tickets were already bought." Hachiman explained, looking at her twin to try again for a reaction.
It still made him incredibly uncomfortable, but the shock therapy seemed to work well enough to let him at least glance at the boy.
"I'm fine."
Hachiman nodded, moving his gaze away from him as soon as he got confirmation. Too bad, really. Given that this was Saitou's money, and he'd have liked to have an excuse to mooch off of her a bit.
"Are you sure?" Ruby insisted, and that got her twin to react.
"Yes. She'll be there."
"What if he leaves us there and they go somewhere else?" Ruby looked at the floor, looking sad rather than angry now.
"Why would they do that?" Her twin looked confused.
Hachiman opened his mouth but chose not to say anything. That was probably a conversation that two four-years old did not need to hear just yet.
And they didn't need to know what he thought about her in those terms either. Saying it out loud would've been telling, would give them the wrong idea.
"I… I don't know…" See? Perfectly innocent. Damn, Hachiman. You almost screwed yourself even more.
"Then why do you think that'd happen?" The boy insisted, patiently letting his sister arrive to the obvious conclusion that her worries were unfounded.
"…Maybe mama thinks the movie's boring?"
"But she chose it with you?"
"Maybe she didn't want to tell me!"
Ok, now her insistence was becoming worrying. It made Hachiman go down to a knee in front of the little girl.
"There's absolutely no reason for that to be the case, I wouldn't have been called. And I definitely don't think your mom is the kind to do that. Do you?" Maybe he was just talking out of his ass. But, from how impactful revealing them to him had been, Hachiman wanted to believe that Hoshino at least cared about her children a lot.
If risking her whole career for them was worth it, he wanted to believe that the little girl was simply confused. Or scared of being with him, given that they'd probably had very few opportunities to be around people other than Hoshino or Saitou.
"He's right, y'know. Ai's not like that." The boy added, and Hachiman turned toward him with his eyebrows furrowed. Making the little kid visibly nervous. "Mom isn't, I mean."
"That's true…" The little girl nodded, still looking ready to cry. But with her voice less strained.
Hachiman really wished to have more context here, to know more about the young woman that brought them up. That cared enough to ask for this kind of favor of him, when even a single link could send her back to a life-threatening situation.
Leave alone a career-shattering one, that'd be kindness by comparison.
"Look, this is what's gonna happen: We're getting in, the lights will turn off. Then, your mom will be there and you'll be able to sit on her lap. Okay?" Hachiman wished to be able to place his hands on the kid's shoulders, but he didn't feel like she trusted him enough. They'd only ever seen each other once, after all. He wouldn't, in her place.
"Hmmm…"
"Guess we can buy some popcorns, just in case Ruby's still dissatisfied." The boy chimed in, deadpanning so hard that it made his twin frown.
"Being with mama is good enough!"
"Sure. Because you know restraint so well." The boy crossed his arms. "Look, you're causing a scene."
The little girl looked around, figuring out when people were pretending not to look at them. Perhaps due to their weird appearance, but also because seeing a little girl wanting to cry always picked up people's attention.
"…Fine." The girl took a deep breath and held it for a moment, seemingly trying to calm herself like that while pouting and puffing her chest.
"Incredible, you're indeed smart kids." Hachiman chuckled, more to Ruby than her brother. And stood while cleaning his knee from dirt. "So… Popcorns?"
"Yes, please."
"…Fine."
Welp, one-word responses were better than a crying baby… Toddler. Whatever. It made things easier, because people at least left them alone and didn't call the police. Because, knowing his luck, Hachiman could believe that someone would get the wrong idea and would call him out on trying to kidnap two kids.
Ah, he could already see the headlines. It'd be an ironic end, given why he got to meet the kids in the first place. But, well, what else could he do? His eyes weren't going anywhere, and it wasn't like people would believe he was babysitting. Hopefully, at least his sentence would be a short one when Saitou interfered…
Wait. Who decided he'd get guilty already? Ugh. Admitting that was a little too depressing. So he silently cashed in some big popcorns to himself while he bought a medium-size for the kids. At least this way, he'd have something to do while going to a kid's movie.
…
Come to think of it, Ruby did bring out a good point. Looking at them as they took their seats, Hachiman had an idea. Couldn't he just leave? Go back when the movie was finishing, bring them back to Saitou while Hoshino got there on her own? What if…?
His thoughts were silenced when a girl with short red hair and glasses smiled at him. Sitting right next to Hachiman's and the kids' seats, the purple eyes that the glasses hid showed enough glitter that, when Hachiman passed by her, he felt a strange sense of apprehension that made his heart race.
A wig, of course. This girl was crafty, but her disguise still couldn't fully hide the longing that she showed while her kids took their positions.
Hachiman sat between Aqua and Ruby.
"That's…"
"Yeah." Hachiman murmured before Ruby could make more noise.
"I wanna sit next to her…"
"Let your brother do that, you'll go to sit on her lap when the lights turn off. Remember?" Hachiman replied in a hushed tone, getting to see the little girl brighten up a lot more than even before.
"…Right!"
Oh, thank god. This was working out, after all.
"Popcorns." He gave the smaller ones to the boy, while keeping an eye on his sister. Who was now kicking her feet with excitement. Probably waiting for the exact moment that he'd promised to spring off her seat.
Hoshino didn't say anything, she didn't even turn to face them. She simply stole quick glances in their direction, furtively seeing what was happening while keeping to herself. A bit too comfortable in her spot, maybe. But still a perfectly unassuming stranger coming to watch the same movie as them.
Hachiman was reminded of how she'd avoided him at Komachi's debut. It felt weird saying it like that but, given the circumstances, that was the closest way he could describe it. Avoiding talking or even looking in his direction while in public, keeping to herself, staying in her line of work. It felt even more evident as the lights slowly dimed and Hoshino Ai slowly turned to face him. Like a doll in a haunted house, or maybe like a creature given life by being unseen and unbothered by her mask.
Her smile, dimly shown by the light of the screen in front of them, was beautiful as her daughter crept off her own seat and glued herself to her. Making Hoshino lift her up and place her where she belonged.
Hachiman placed his left elbow on the armrest and pretended not to notice.
"Is there something for me in there?" Hoshino whispered, making Hachiman eye her and look at where she was looking at. The popcorns.
"Sure." He wordlessly gave them to her, seeing Ruby reached out to grab some of her own. She was hugging Hoshino so tightly that she could've liked her mother's collarbone without trouble.
"Thanks."
"That's my line." Hachiman whispered back. "For what you did back there, really."
"I don't understand why people get so nervous in front of a camera, but I've seen it happen before." Hoshino chuckled lightly.
"I see."
"Sshhh… It's about to start." Ruby waved her hand, bright enough that Hachiman could see the likeliness with her mother now.
Right. Better comply with the little tyrant or the big one would react.
"How's my baby-boy doing…?" Hoshino surrounded her son with her arm, pulling him closer even though there was an armrest between them.
He didn't seem to mind.
She was so different when she was with them. More wholesome, more… Alive. Like they gave her energy to keep going, to keep facing the world in that rotten way she did.
It felt like he was prying somewhere he didn't belong.
"Well, I'll come back when the movie's done." He informed her while trying to stand up. No reason to be the third (fourth?) wheel and keep struggling against the tightening on his heart.
A hand found his own, locking him mid-motion as he looked at the gaze still filled with longing that was waiting for him.
"Stay." Hoshino whispered. There was no imperative or question in it. She'd simply said it like any other word, with any meaning that he could've imagined.
Hachiman sat back down, enthralled by the gaze that she gave him.
God damn it, Hoshino. Why did she have to make things more complicated?
"Okay."
Her hand didn't leave him, and it felt like an anchor that kept him pinned in place. Kept his mind from giving him anything but the feedback of her smooth fingers over his own. She didn't bring it back to hug her son, but instead used the back of her elbow to pull him closer instead.
Hachiman had to get out, pull back while he still could. Her children didn't like him very much, this whole thing had been a favor which Saitou enabled, and he still could go out and pretend that nothing was happening while distracting himself with his phone. He wouldn't be able to concentrate in the movie anyway, he wouldn't know what it was about. So he should quit while he was still ahead.
He didn't.
