Chapter Text
There had once been a time when Haku believed the worst thing that one could endure was to be hated. That there couldn’t possibly be anything worse than living in fear of the constant possibility of pain – to move wrong, to act wrong, to speak wrong, to be wrong – but he had been wrong. Worse than hatred and pain was isolation. Not being acknowledged or needed, that was truly terrible, and even worse to not even be acknowledged enough to be hated.
For a time after his alcoholic Father had been sent away on domestic abuse charges, Haku thought life would improve. Maybe it did, just a little bit, but then Mother had started dating and things began to fall apart all over again.
She didn’t want him in the house since he distracted her new boyfriends.
More often than not he wandered the empty streets of his small town, trying to be useful by simply not existing.
When he did go home, for a change of clothes or food, he’d often end up being bullied by her boyfriend-of-the-week for being too feminine, too pretty, or just plain in the way. That was the case on the day that he first met Zabuza. His Mother was out, but her boyfriend wasn’t. The man was first surprised that Haku existed and then the usual bullying began. Haku had tried to ignore it, to just get what he needed and leave, but when the man’s vulgar comments shifted to actually attempting to grab Haku, he couldn’t ignore him. The hand that gripped his shoulder had been his father’s that time, but the memory that accompanied this stranger’s touch was just as visceral. The air leaving his lungs as he hit the wall, the pain in his face from where he’d been backhanded…
He didn’t wait to test if the reactions were the same. He jerked his elbow back, nailing the man in the groin. Previous plans forgotten, Haku’s only plan was to escape. He reached the entryway, started toeing on his shoes, and suddenly pain flared through his face. He’d caught the back of the man’s hand across his temple and it left him seeing stars… but he’d also fallen into the door. To hell with his shoes. It didn’t matter that it was agonizingly cold without his shoes on, he was still faster.
Haku’s lungs burned from the cold, his bare feet ached, and suddenly he was barreling toward someone on the bridge that lead from their country property back into the town proper. Their eyes met and Haku nearly forgot how to breathe. He was absolutely gorgeous. Haku also couldn’t afford to be stopped. He shifted his path, trying to dodge the stranger, but his bare foot hit an icy patch beneath the snow. Once more pain swallowed up everything else, shooting from his foot up through his leg so badly that he could have sobbed. He probably did.
For a moment everything felt like it was in slow motion.
On one side he was aware that this new man was suddenly running full tilt toward him, on the other was his mother’s boyfriend rushing to meet him. He thought for a moment that this might be how he died. Head cracked open on the ice, beaten… any number of things… except he also couldn’t recall hitting the bridge itself.
When his eyes finally opened and the pounding in his ears receded enough to make sense of things, the stranger was arguing with Mother’s boyfriend and Haku’s face was… very embarrassingly pressed into a finely sculpted pec. He was struck first with an intense urge to rub his face against that warmth and to drag in more of that heady, musky scent of earth and sweat and the faint undertones of sea air.
“It’s okay, Mister…”
The man looked down at him, one eyebrow arched in defiant questioning, and then his attention shifted back to the man. There were a few more words exchanged between them before Haku was suddenly not standing on his own feet. The boy squeaked in surprise, clutching more tightly to the man’s shirt.
“W-What are you doing?! I can walk!”
“You twisted your ankle,” he stated in a voice that could not be argued with. “I’m taking you home to set it.”
“That isn’t –”
“It is.”
Haku fell silent, unsure of how to deal with this strange man with his stern words and strangely lonely eyes. He must have fallen asleep without realizing it, because the next time he woke he was laying on a bed wrapped in warm blankets. He slowly sat up and pulled back the cover to reveal his bandaged ankle. It throbbed softly but the compression felt nice too.
“Good, you’re awake.” The man had returned to the room with a small tray. “I brought you some hot tea and some miso. You need to warm up your core temp a bit more.”
Haku squirmed nervously in the bed, wringing his hands together. “But I couldn’t impose.”
“You’re not.”
“But…”
He made an annoyed sound as he set the tray over Haku’s lap. “What’s your name?”
“Eh? Oh uhm, Haku… I’m Haku.”
“My name’s Zabuza.” He pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and pointed firmly at the food. “If you don’t eat or drink on your own, I will feed you.”
Haku’s eyes widened in innocent surprise and Zabuza had to stifle the urge to laugh. With trembling little hands, Haku picked up the tea and began to sip at it. Over the edge of the cup, Haku peered at him with big eyes wide with confusion.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Taking care of you?” Haku nodded and Zabuza gave him a mildly frustrated look. “First, how old are you, Haku?”
“...10.”
“Mhm. And who was chasing after you?”
“...My mom’s current boyfriend.”
“And why was he chasing you?”
“He… I…” He took a sip of tea as his eyes dropped away from Zabuza. “I elbowed him in the dick for getting handsy with me……”
Zabuza snorted in surprise. “You what now?” Haku looked up, eyes tearful, expression anxious, and Zabuza softened instantly. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to imply it was a bad thing. I was honestly impressed.” He reached out and gently pat Haku on the head. “ That is why I’m taking care of you. No child should have to go through that. You’re small for your age, much too skinny, covered in bruises, and you’re wearing an old, threadbare yukata as a storm front was rolling in, and you’re fucking barefoot. If I had left you there, you would’ve died in the snow… Or worse, that man would’ve taken you back inside with him.”
Haku felt the tears falling onto his hands before he actually realized he was crying. Blinking rapidly, he set the tea down and tried to wipe the onslaught of tears away.
Zabuza frowned, but he picked up the tray and set it on the nightstand before moving over to sit on the bed. “C’mere kid.” For what was probably the first time in his life, Haku collapsed into Zabuza’s arms and let out all the bottled up pain and fear he’d held for as long as he could remember. Zabuza said nothing, he just stroked the kid's hair and let him cry until exhaustion claimed him again. When Haku was asleep, Zabuza tucked him in properly and took the food with him. He’d make him something fresh once he’d rested a bit more.
In the meantime, he had quite a few arrangements to make.