common sense • rini/jolivia one shots

all my scars

the first time Ricky realized he wasn't like everybody else was when he was five. he was running around on the playground when his chest started to hurt. he tried to brush it off but minutes later he felt like he couldn't breathe. when he passed out his teacher called 911, sending him to the hospital.

his doctors and parents tried to describe what was wrong with him. he had an Atrial Septal Defect, meaning he had a small hole in his heart chambers. he was rushed to surgery to fix it the next morning, leaving behind a scar in the middle of his chest.

he tried not to feel left out when he returned to school but he couldn't help but feel like he was. he had to stay inside while everybody got to go play outside during recess, he wasn't allowed to go to gym class with his friends, and he couldn't go down to play soccer with his friends after school. instead, he had to sit inside and read or do crafts during recess. he hated being alone, that was, until he met Nini.

Nini didn't like to get messy. she preferred to stay inside with the teacher during recess, helping her clean the classroom. Nini, at only 5, had OCD and was constantly avoiding messes and trying to stay clean and calm. perhaps that's why the two kids got along so well.

over the years, Nini and Ricky became inseparable. every weekend was spent at each other's houses, playing board games or watching movies. Nini was always the first person he wanted to tell everything to and vice versa.

when Ricky was 9, his aorta ruptured. it wasn't something that could've been prevented, his doctors all said. he was in the hospital for 16 days recovering from a valve replacement. Nini was there every single day after school, fighting with her moms every time they told her she couldn't go, forcing them to bring her to the hospital.

he returned home with a fresh scar, this one over his left breastbone. he was beginning to notice how the angry red lines looked on his chest when he stared in the mirror after a shower, they weren't pretty.

when Nini was 11 she started seeing a therapist for her OCD. her habits had worsened. she was at the point where she couldn't eat anything without cleaning it thoroughly, she couldn't go two minutes without washing her hands, and if even a speck of dirt got on her body she would have a full meltdown.

the treatment was rough. Nini didn't adjust well to the medication her therapist had prescribed her. she didn't like the way it made her feel, prompting her to refuse it every day when her moms tried to get her to take it. she found a new therapist that didn't shove pills down her throat, instead teaching her breathing exercises for when she got panicked.

Ricky was there for her when she had a meltdown one day after school. the two were at his house, sitting on his bed doing homework. Ricky had accidentally left his highlighter uncapped, causing the marker to bleed onto her homework. he apologized profusely but when Nini burst into tears, he simply pulled her against his chest to match her breathing to his. that was the moment they both knew they couldn't live without each other.

Ricky was 14 when he had to have a heart transplant. it terrified him to find out that the reason he had been feeling so sick lately was because his heart was literally failing. he was moved to the top of the transplant list and promised that he would get a heart. Ricky took his time saying goodbye to his friends and family, not being very hopeful that he would survive the year.

he had called Nini to his house one night, telling her he needed to talk to her. he held the girls hands as he told her that he had fallen in love with her. he didn't mean for it to happen but it did. he assured her that he didn't need her to live him back because how could anybody love him with all his scars. Nini simply pulled the boy to her and kissed his lips. when they pulled away she told him she loved him to, that she always would no matter what happened.