The Reckless & The Brave Book 1: Hold Me Tight Or Don't [Kurotsuki]

Chapter 9

Hospitals have always made Kei uncomfortable. He remembers being a child and standing at the foot of his grandmother's hospital bed watching as she faded away. She'd been kind to him, told him that he was special. Listened to him talk about dinosaurs for hours. His parents forgot him at the hospital and he stood there and watched as she faded away. Hospitals have made him uncomfortable ever since. Still, he sits in the plastic chair beside Freckles' bed and waits while the cheerful man chats with a nurse.

"I'm surprised you came to visit me," Freckles says once she's gone.

"They gave me your information. I thought it would be proper."

"You can call me Yamaguchi here."

"You have a family still?"

"Yes, just my mother."

'I'm Tsukishima if you want," Kei crosses one leg over the other and tugs on the sleeve of his hoodie.

"Nice to meet you Tsukishima," Yamaguchi smiles. "Is that your real name?"

"I don't have a family anymore. My name doesn't matter."

"Oh, sorry Tsukishima..." Yamaguchi. scratches the back of his head, "Um you'd gotten injured too right?"

"Just my shoulder... I told my..." He doesn't know what Kuroo is yet, "I told Kuroo that I was with you when I got mugged."

"Who's Kuroo?"

"He used to be my fiance, it's a long story. But He's staying with me right now so I had to tell him something about my shoulder," Kei fixes his glasses.

"You don't like lying to him, I hate lying to my mom too. She's my best friend, you know? So when I have to lie I feel really guilty."

"Why did you join? If you've got your mom?"

"Why did you join if you've got a fiance?"

"I didn't have him when I joined. He left me, took off to travel the world or something without telling me he was going."

"And you're letting him live with you now?" Yamaguchi's head tilts a bit as he regards Kei.

"Yes. Why did you join?"

"The money, for my mom. We never had money when I was growing up but she gave me everything I wanted. So now I can give her things. She thinks an old teacher left the bookstore to me, that all the money comes from it."

"Lying is hard. When I signed up for this I didn't think I'd have to lie about it to anyone. I didn't have family or friends. I didn't think I'd ever connect with anyone again." Kei twists his fingers together and frowns.

"We're friends," Yamaguchi says softly.

"We aren't supposed to be."

"Are you thinking of me as Freckles or Yamaguchi right now?" he asks.

"Does that matter?"

"Yep definitely. Cause you told me your name was Tsukishima and I stopped thinking of you as Megane-kun and started thinking of you as Tsukishima. Cause I think we're friends. I want us to be at least."

"Yamaguchi. You can... You can call me Tsukki if you want. I never had real friends. But when Kuroo and I became friends he called me Tsukki."

"Alright, Tsukki. Let's be friends from now on then," Yamaguchi holds out his hand with a smile on his face. Kei eyes his hand for a moment before reaching out to take it. He needs someone that he can tell the truth to. Someone that can know everything and will listen to him. Kei isn't sure how good of a friend he'll be able to be but at least he'll have someone while it lasts.