Chapter Text

Freesia

Haruka and Chika grow up inseparable. Wherever the elder one goes, the younger would follow with his tiny, clumsy steps— It’s no wonder that Chika is the only one to witness Haruka’s first steps and then it comes as no surprise when Haruka’s first words are his attempts to pronounce his brother’s name.

“I– Ika!”

Chika remembers freezing on his spot on their living room’s sofa, where he leisurely had been reading a children’s book. And right after, he simply dropped said book on the ground, rushing to his beloved baby brother’s side.

The eldest's eyes rarely ever showed any emotion, always remaining blank and wide open; But if one were to catch that scene, they’d see as Chika’s eyes glowed with joy as he tried to correct Haruka’s pronunciation.

Haruka is barely a year old, yet he has his older brother wrapped around his chubby fingers.

Still, tiny Haruka clings to his brother as their parents are often away for work — or socializing, in their mother’s case. The caretakers they are left with only tend to their basic needs, such as food and bath time; Other than that, the two only have each other for company.

And that was fine with them.

They only needed each other after all.

With enough money to hire caretakers, their parents never bothered sending Chika and Haruka to a kindergarten; And so, when Chika is six years old, it’s the first time the siblings are separated. Everyday, early in the morning, he had to say goodbye to a tearful Haruka and walk to the nearby Elementary School.

Chika thought it was a waste of time.

He had always been a bright child, learning how to read by himself with the books that their parents provided; And so, school passed at a snail’s pace as the teacher drowned on about whatever it was they were teaching— Chika didn’t pay attention to it. All that occupied his mind as he stared out the window was his dear Haruka’s face. He’d sometimes face the front of the class just to look at the clock hanging right above the blackboard, before turning away when only ten minutes had past.

At first, his teachers would call him out for his nonchalant and aloof behavior; But when Chika’s test scores always came in perfect marks, they learned to just leave him be.

At the sound of the bell signaling the end of day, Chika would be the first out of the class, barely bothering to say goodbye to his teachers and his classmates. He didn’t bother answering other kid’s calls to play some dumb game; All he wanted was to go home and see his baby brother.

He’d ignore those faceless, nameless beings who approached him, only interested on his smarts— And then the parents of other kids that wanted to meet his father.

Walking in long strides, he only feels relief when he sees his house.

And, like clockwork, the door opens before he even crosses the fence’s gate.

Haruka’s radiant smile greets him and only then Chika allows himself to relax before mirroring his brother’s smile.

It’s two years later when the siblings have their first taste of contempt by other people.

Late at night, a few days before Haruka would start going to Elementary School, Chika is woken up by Haruka— The boy shyly asks for his brother’s help to go get some water to drink. As the two slowly make their way to the kitchen, they notice light coming from the living room. The door is left slightly open and the siblings look at each other before silently creeping towards it.

Peeking inside, they spot their parents sitting on separate sofas.

“What are we going to do?”

They hear their mother say with a heavy sigh.

“Well, as you said before, we can dye his hair and no one will notice.”

“Ugh, I hope no one does.” The woman then lights a cigarette. “It’s bad enough he has mismatched eyes, did he really have to be born with a hair like that?”

Chika feels as if ice crept up his body, but he couldn’t place a name to that feeling.

“At any rate, for our sake, let’s hope that no one realizes that he’s a freak.”

Oh.

Chika realizes what the feeling is called; He remembers it vaguely from one of his classes.

It’s hatred.

When the day of Haruka’s first day at school arrives, the boy fidgets with his now entirely pitch black hair. Chika tries to cheer him up, holding his hand firmly into his as they walk together to school and he is there when they arrive at Haruka’s classroom.

With a small wave, Chika drops him off before heading to his own classroom.

However, on his first day at school, Haruka already has had enough of it.

The siblings learn how cruel children can be when a boy in Haruka’s class makes fun of his heterochromic eyes.

And the teacher doesn’t even bother stepping in when other children join in on trying to take a closer look, tightly gripping Haruka’s hair to force him to face them. It’s only when Haruka winds up his arm and punches one of the kids on the face that the teacher finally looks up from his book as the kid wails with a bloodied nose.

Haruka is sent to the Principal’s room, where his mother arrives at about half an hour later.

The young boy looks at his mom with relief in his eyes— But it quickly dies when the woman walks past him with a glare in her eyes. Haruka recoils in his seat, head down as his mother listens impatiently to the principal’s recount of what happened.

Haruka tries to defend himself, protesting when the principal tells his mother that Haruka punched the other kid out of nowhere, but a firm slap to his cheek has him thrown to the ground, dazed and shocked. He barely notices when his mom quickly bows down and apologizes to the principal, before she roughly yanks his arm and forces him to his feet.

When they leave the room, Chika is waiting them by the door. His eyes are unblinking as he looks at Haruka’s face for a split second before he turns to stare hard at his mother.

Their car ride back home is silent.

Haruka’s only comfort is his brothers hand over his, their fingers interlacing.

After that incident, their parents are much more open with their distaste towards Haruka as are their praises towards Chika.

“Your brother got straight perfect marks, but you can’t even score above 80? Ugh, what an useless son.”

“Chika is always top of his grade in both academics and sports, why can’t you be like that?”

And at school, the kids continue to relentlessly pick on Haruka. As much as the boy tries to focus on class — because all he wanted was to become good enough to his parents, to make them proud and be like Chika — the poking and probing of the other children has Haruka fighting and punching someone everyday. And everyday he is the only one sent to detention.

“He’s a problem child after all.” Is what all the teachers say about him.

“Poor Chika, having that boy as his younger brother. I hope it doesn’t affect his performance.”

—Is also what reaches Chika’s ears as he passes by two teachers gossiping on the school’s hallways. He spares them a quick glance, before quickly turning away, his steps gaining more speed as he searches for his baby brother.

He finds Haruka alone, sitting under their school’s Sakura tree.

And Chika learns what anger feels like when he takes in the fresh bruise on Haruka’s face.

He decides he too, has had enough.

Chika starts picking fights with other students, especially the ones he sees bullying Haruka.

And soon, both brothers are a constant presence in the principal’s office.

But, unlike Haruka, Chika is always let go with a simple warning— He is the school’s golden child after all. Their genius. Their pride.

And then, the people around them are quick to blame Haruka for his sudden aggressiveness.

“Gosh, that brat is even making Chika-kun violent.” He hears the teachers speak through a window. “How are their parents even raising them?”

They aren’t.

Is what passes through Chika’s mind, because their parents are the first to give up on Haruka. And when he starts acting up, they simply see it as a phase that would eventually pass— They had more important things to take care of after all.

The siblings understand right then that they truly were alone in the world.

However, it’s because of those so-called “important things” that Haruka’s mismatched hair becomes known to everyone.

During Haruka’s second year of Elementary School, their parents are gone for an entire month due to a business trip to another country and they are left with only their caretakers.

Haruka’s hair had always grown quickly, thus the boy frequently needed haircuts and had to dye his hair. However, their caretakers were only there to provide them food and prepare their baths. Thus, the black dye started to fade as the white roots of Haruka’s hair started to grow.

It didn’t take long for people to notice the patch of white hair peeking from between strands of onyx.

And soon, whispers of Haruka dyeing his hair white like a delinquent spread through students and faculty alike— Nevermind the fact that it was his natural hair color.

But it has always been easier to assume things that sounded far more “normal”.

When their parents return from their trip, it coincides with a parent-teacher meeting and both Chika and Haruka prepare for the worst when their mother is immediately approached by other adults— All of them asking how she felt about her son becoming a delinquent at his age.

And then she notices as Haruka’s hair was already returning to its natural state.

She awkwardly smiles and says that the foolish boy probably was playing with her dyes, because she would never admit she gave birth to a freak.

Haruka’s hair is back to being completely black later that same day.