[One Shot] Babysitter
Title: Babysitter
Rating: K+
Word Count: 2,114
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely the creators of Eyeshield 21.
Summary: Mamori takes up babysitting to earn some extra cash, or so she says. Hiruma knows why she's doing it, and intends to confront her on it.
Notes: OMG, I owed bar_ohki this fic for such a freaking long time... 6 months! So many things happened since that month so this got delayed quite a bit. Anyways, her prompts were "Babysitter" OR Everclear's
"Learning How To Smile". But I decided to try and mix them both up... this was the result. I'm sorry if it turned out a little too melodramatic than it should, but I did my best with this.
Hopefully, you'll enjoy this bar_ohki! Same goes to everyone else!
~*~
Mamori quietly rocked the sleeping infant in her arms, breathing an inward sigh of satisfaction. It had taken a lot of coaxing and distracting to get the little baby boy to stop crying, but it all paid off. The infant snuggled into her chest and took small, deep breaths of comfort and deep sleep.
She hadn’t expected to get a babysitting job so soon. Having only advertised two days ago, it was a surprise when someone requested her services almost right after. Determined to do a good job, she took it instantly, not realizing how nerve wrecking it would be to babysit another person’s child. They’d placed an innocent child into her hands for protection, and she would do all it takes to ensure that.
Feeling very proud of a job well done so far, Mamori was about to place the baby in his cot when she heard a knock on the door. A glance at the clock told her it was still too early for the parents to have returned. Her heartbeat quickened as her mind raced through all the possible options of who it could be. A robber? A kidnapper? A con man?
Mamori quickly placed the infant in his cot. She watched him gurgle in disapproval at being removed from the warm body that enveloped him earlier, but Mamori quickly placed a pillow next to the baby and patted him on his back to soothe him. The knocking grew louder and it caused her to panic. That would surely wake the baby up.
Once the baby became a little more still, Mamori rushed towards the door, grabbing a broom along the way. Whoever it was, she was sure he meant trouble. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the door knob and swung it open.
“Took you long enough, Fucking Manager.”
The sight of the blonde demon-like boy before her caught her by surprise. “Hiruma-kun! What are you doing here?!”
Hiruma shrugged but glanced at the broom in her hand. He grinned. “Were you planning to beat me up with that?”
“What?” Mamori looked at the broom. “No! It’s just that… wait! What are you doing here to begin with? Shouldn’t you be at that meeting with those other players from America?!”
Hiruma’s grin faded for a fraction of a second, but returned wider than before. “Fuck that for now. I heard you were babysitting and I couldn’t help but envision a house in total chaos.”
Mamori placed one hand on her hip in defiance. “Well as you can see, the house is still intact, Hiruma-kun.”
“To be expected from the great Fucking Manager of the Deimon Devil Bats and the Saikyoudai Wizards, I suppose?” Hiruma cackled.
Mamori frowned for a moment and was about to retort when a weak cry reached her ears. “Oh no!” Mamori cried, exasperated as she turned to where the baby was crying. She looked at Hiruma as she rushed towards the cot. “Look, you can come in but you can’t stay long!”
Hiruma grinned as he walked in and closed the door. “Of course… Don’t want the Fucking Brat’s parents to know that the babysitter brought the devil in to their home.”
“Hiruma-kun!” Mamori cried out angrily at his words. It was one thing to call the baby a brat, but making it seem as though people disapproved of him in general was uncalled for, though she had no time to argue with him. She scooped the crying baby into her arms and began to rock him gently. “There, there, Shuuji…” Mamori cooed, as the baby’s cries softened. He seemed content to be held in Mamori’s arms and while he’d stopped crying, his eyes were now wide open.
“Doesn’t look like he’ll fall asleep anytime soon…” said Mamori with a sigh. She turned towards Hiruma who was looking at her in a strange sort of manner, as if the sight captivated him though his gaze was intense. “Hiruma-kun?”
“I need to talk to you,” he suddenly said, his face now serious.
Mamori pressed her lips together. Just as she suspected, he was here to talk about something important. Walking out of the room, she said, “We can talk in the hall.”
Hiruma followed her and he sat on the couch as Mamori stood nearby, rocking the baby gently. They were silent for a moment, before Hiruma finally spoke up. “There’s a reason you took up this babysitting job, isn’t it?”
Mamori blinked in surprise. His question made her stop for a moment, causing the baby to moan in protest. She began to rock him softly once more, her eyes downcast. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s so that I can gain more experience to be a Kindergarten teacher…”
“You’re fucking lying,” he said, as he sat back on the couch, his gaze sharp.
Mamori glared back at him. Then she looked away and sighed. “How much did you hear?”
“If you’re the smart Fucking Manager that I know you are, you can guess by now how I heard about it.”
Mamori cursed inwardly. Was there any information that he couldn’t blackmail his way to get his hands on? “I don’t see what the problem is then…”
“Anezaki,” he called out to her as he now got up to walk towards her. “I thought you were smarter than to let some fucking words get to you.”
Mamori shifted her gaze, smiling sadly. “Their words didn’t get to me. But I can’t deny it made me realize how someday we’ll both have to part ways… and I couldn’t help but wonder… what then?”
Hiruma made no move to say anything. He merely looked at her, and it was a look Mamori couldn’t bear. So she continued to talk, “How ridiculous is that, Hiruma-kun? When I stepped into Deimon, I had my future all planned out. And now I realized that there’s a lot more in my life that I want to do… That’s why I…” Mamori hesitated. She shifted her weight as she continued to rock the baby in her arms.
“That’s why you’re saving up to go to America someday?” Hiruma finished her sentence.
Mamori looked at the baby in her arms, feeling incredibly embarrassed. A few days ago, a couple of footballers from America were discussing Hiruma and his abilities, how he would do incredibly well if he continued to study and practice in America. But that girl he was always with, that Anezaki Mamori… she might be great, but her ambition was to be a Kindergarten Teacher… which obviously meant that she would be staying in Japan. Hiruma could go places, but Mamori would be anchored here, which ultimately would bring him down.
That was when the prospect of them breaking apart hit Mamori hard. She had a nagging feeling that she had known this would happen all along, but she forced it to the back of her mind and focused on worrying about the present. But with graduation coming soon, and the fact that Hiruma was scouted all the way from America… it became too obvious to ignore.
“It’s not just that,” said Mamori, sighing a little. “I was hoping that babysitting would help me realize if being a Kindergarten Teacher is what I really want to do.” She laughed nervously as she looked at the baby in her arms, his eyes still wide open. Then she turned to Hiruma. “What do you think? Think I’ll make a great Teacher?”
Hiruma grinned, clearly amused by the question. “If you could handle those Fucking Idiots in the Deimon Devil Bats, children should be nothing for you, Fucking Manager.”
“Hiruma-kun!” Mamori scolded, but she couldn’t help but smile and laugh softly. The baby gurgled, just curiously. “Hey, Shuuji, did you hear that? The greatest Quarterback in Japan has told me that I’ll make a great Kindergarten Teacher…”
“Let’s run away.”
Mamori froze in her spot, the words slowly sinking in. She slowly looked at Hiruma, clearly surprised and confused. “What?”
Hiruma grinned widely. “You heard me… let’s run away.”
“Wait, no!” Mamori cried out, causing the baby to whimper in surprise. She quickly rocked the baby, shushing it before finally speaking quickly, “We can’t just run away! There’s so much we have to do now! I have to finish my studies to be a Kindergarten Teacher… and aren’t you trying to join that Football Team from America?”
“Fuck them,” he said, and Mamori couldn’t help but notice how angry he suddenly looked. “Fucking assholes talk big but their talent’s nothing but shit.”
“Hiruma! Not in front of Shuuji!” Mamori scolded at Hiruma’s cursing.
“He’s too young to understand shit!” cried Hiruma.
“You’d be surprised at how well children can perceive these things! I did a study on this once where even a baby in a mother’s womb could perceive certain fears and habits and…” Suddenly Mamori shook her head. “Wait, that’s beside the point! Hiruma-kun, you know very well how much being in that team would do for you.” She sighed, trying to keep her frustrations in order. “You can go far, Hiruma-kun. Your talent as a tactician will grow and you can be a better player than you are now… Don’t hold back. Don’t run away just because of me. I’ll come after you, I promise… just…”
Hiruma stared back at her coldly. She could tell he was thinking deeply about what she had just said. The baby squirmed in her arms, sensing her doubts and fears. Was Hiruma right? Was the team really that bad? But there was only so much Japan could offer…
Then suddenly, a light cackle escaped from Hiruma’s lips. “I guess you won’t be phased that easily, Fucking Manager.”
“Eh?”
“Fine, I’ll come back for you,” he said, a playful grin on his face. “And the moment I come back, you better be ready to run away with me.”
“Stop using those words!” Mamori snapped a little. “It makes it sound like we’re… we’re…”
Then it struck Mamori. Why Hiruma was really here, why they were arguing and why he insisted on running away… She couldn’t help but smile as she came to that realization. Warm feelings blossomed within her. “So that’s why you’re here…”
“And why am I here, Fucking Manager?” he said, his grin growing wider.
“To remind me that I can make my own decisions, regardless of what people say or think,” she said, smiling softly. “Really, Hiruma-kun, you could have done that in a nicer way.”
He cackled. “Not my style, Fucking Manager. Besides, I got the answer that I wanted from you earlier. I wanted to make sure that that’s what you really want, and not because some fucking idiots are pressuring you to do so.”
Mamori looked down, a little ashamed. It definitely wasn’t like her at all.
“But I mean it when I say I’ll come back for you…”
Mamori raised her eyes to look straight into his. There was a strong resolve in his eyes, one that she knew all too well. “Are you sure that’s what you want? It may take years.”
“Does it look like I fucking care?” Hiruma began to walk towards her slowly. “Or do I need to reassure you by saying petty little things like you mean so much to me… that I can’t see a future without you?”
She blushed at his words. It definitely was strange hearing it from him. “No, you don’t have to…”
“Why’s that?” Hiruma was very close to her now, almost a breath away.
Mamori laughed a little before replying, “Because I already know.” She tilted her head forward and Hiruma instantly pressed his lips against hers, breathing in the moment before finally pulling apart.
“Keh, Fucking Brat’s finally asleep.”
Mamori looked at the baby in her arms and was surprised that Hiruma was right. The infant was sound asleep and snuggled comfortably in Mamori’s arms. “How strange…”
Hiruma stayed with Mamori for a moment before finally deciding to leave. Shuuji’s parents would return soon, and despite Mamori’s insistence that she didn’t mind having Hiruma around, it was true they weren’t certain that the couple would feel comfortable at the sight of Hiruma.
As he left, Mamori wondered about the world and how they viewed her relationship with Hiruma. Whether it was strange that she was willing to chase after him, or that he was willing to come back for her. They were so mismatched in a number of ways… but it doesn’t matter now. Because as the day they would part draws closer, it became clear of how much they mean to each other.
And when the day they decide to ‘run away’ comes, a new, exciting journey awaited them both.
Rating: K+
Word Count: 2,114
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely the creators of Eyeshield 21.
Summary: Mamori takes up babysitting to earn some extra cash, or so she says. Hiruma knows why she's doing it, and intends to confront her on it.
Notes: OMG, I owed bar_ohki this fic for such a freaking long time... 6 months! So many things happened since that month so this got delayed quite a bit. Anyways, her prompts were "Babysitter" OR Everclear's
"Learning How To Smile". But I decided to try and mix them both up... this was the result. I'm sorry if it turned out a little too melodramatic than it should, but I did my best with this.
Hopefully, you'll enjoy this bar_ohki! Same goes to everyone else!
~*~
Mamori quietly rocked the sleeping infant in her arms, breathing an inward sigh of satisfaction. It had taken a lot of coaxing and distracting to get the little baby boy to stop crying, but it all paid off. The infant snuggled into her chest and took small, deep breaths of comfort and deep sleep.
She hadn’t expected to get a babysitting job so soon. Having only advertised two days ago, it was a surprise when someone requested her services almost right after. Determined to do a good job, she took it instantly, not realizing how nerve wrecking it would be to babysit another person’s child. They’d placed an innocent child into her hands for protection, and she would do all it takes to ensure that.
Feeling very proud of a job well done so far, Mamori was about to place the baby in his cot when she heard a knock on the door. A glance at the clock told her it was still too early for the parents to have returned. Her heartbeat quickened as her mind raced through all the possible options of who it could be. A robber? A kidnapper? A con man?
Mamori quickly placed the infant in his cot. She watched him gurgle in disapproval at being removed from the warm body that enveloped him earlier, but Mamori quickly placed a pillow next to the baby and patted him on his back to soothe him. The knocking grew louder and it caused her to panic. That would surely wake the baby up.
Once the baby became a little more still, Mamori rushed towards the door, grabbing a broom along the way. Whoever it was, she was sure he meant trouble. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the door knob and swung it open.
“Took you long enough, Fucking Manager.”
The sight of the blonde demon-like boy before her caught her by surprise. “Hiruma-kun! What are you doing here?!”
Hiruma shrugged but glanced at the broom in her hand. He grinned. “Were you planning to beat me up with that?”
“What?” Mamori looked at the broom. “No! It’s just that… wait! What are you doing here to begin with? Shouldn’t you be at that meeting with those other players from America?!”
Hiruma’s grin faded for a fraction of a second, but returned wider than before. “Fuck that for now. I heard you were babysitting and I couldn’t help but envision a house in total chaos.”
Mamori placed one hand on her hip in defiance. “Well as you can see, the house is still intact, Hiruma-kun.”
“To be expected from the great Fucking Manager of the Deimon Devil Bats and the Saikyoudai Wizards, I suppose?” Hiruma cackled.
Mamori frowned for a moment and was about to retort when a weak cry reached her ears. “Oh no!” Mamori cried, exasperated as she turned to where the baby was crying. She looked at Hiruma as she rushed towards the cot. “Look, you can come in but you can’t stay long!”
Hiruma grinned as he walked in and closed the door. “Of course… Don’t want the Fucking Brat’s parents to know that the babysitter brought the devil in to their home.”
“Hiruma-kun!” Mamori cried out angrily at his words. It was one thing to call the baby a brat, but making it seem as though people disapproved of him in general was uncalled for, though she had no time to argue with him. She scooped the crying baby into her arms and began to rock him gently. “There, there, Shuuji…” Mamori cooed, as the baby’s cries softened. He seemed content to be held in Mamori’s arms and while he’d stopped crying, his eyes were now wide open.
“Doesn’t look like he’ll fall asleep anytime soon…” said Mamori with a sigh. She turned towards Hiruma who was looking at her in a strange sort of manner, as if the sight captivated him though his gaze was intense. “Hiruma-kun?”
“I need to talk to you,” he suddenly said, his face now serious.
Mamori pressed her lips together. Just as she suspected, he was here to talk about something important. Walking out of the room, she said, “We can talk in the hall.”
Hiruma followed her and he sat on the couch as Mamori stood nearby, rocking the baby gently. They were silent for a moment, before Hiruma finally spoke up. “There’s a reason you took up this babysitting job, isn’t it?”
Mamori blinked in surprise. His question made her stop for a moment, causing the baby to moan in protest. She began to rock him softly once more, her eyes downcast. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s so that I can gain more experience to be a Kindergarten teacher…”
“You’re fucking lying,” he said, as he sat back on the couch, his gaze sharp.
Mamori glared back at him. Then she looked away and sighed. “How much did you hear?”
“If you’re the smart Fucking Manager that I know you are, you can guess by now how I heard about it.”
Mamori cursed inwardly. Was there any information that he couldn’t blackmail his way to get his hands on? “I don’t see what the problem is then…”
“Anezaki,” he called out to her as he now got up to walk towards her. “I thought you were smarter than to let some fucking words get to you.”
Mamori shifted her gaze, smiling sadly. “Their words didn’t get to me. But I can’t deny it made me realize how someday we’ll both have to part ways… and I couldn’t help but wonder… what then?”
Hiruma made no move to say anything. He merely looked at her, and it was a look Mamori couldn’t bear. So she continued to talk, “How ridiculous is that, Hiruma-kun? When I stepped into Deimon, I had my future all planned out. And now I realized that there’s a lot more in my life that I want to do… That’s why I…” Mamori hesitated. She shifted her weight as she continued to rock the baby in her arms.
“That’s why you’re saving up to go to America someday?” Hiruma finished her sentence.
Mamori looked at the baby in her arms, feeling incredibly embarrassed. A few days ago, a couple of footballers from America were discussing Hiruma and his abilities, how he would do incredibly well if he continued to study and practice in America. But that girl he was always with, that Anezaki Mamori… she might be great, but her ambition was to be a Kindergarten Teacher… which obviously meant that she would be staying in Japan. Hiruma could go places, but Mamori would be anchored here, which ultimately would bring him down.
That was when the prospect of them breaking apart hit Mamori hard. She had a nagging feeling that she had known this would happen all along, but she forced it to the back of her mind and focused on worrying about the present. But with graduation coming soon, and the fact that Hiruma was scouted all the way from America… it became too obvious to ignore.
“It’s not just that,” said Mamori, sighing a little. “I was hoping that babysitting would help me realize if being a Kindergarten Teacher is what I really want to do.” She laughed nervously as she looked at the baby in her arms, his eyes still wide open. Then she turned to Hiruma. “What do you think? Think I’ll make a great Teacher?”
Hiruma grinned, clearly amused by the question. “If you could handle those Fucking Idiots in the Deimon Devil Bats, children should be nothing for you, Fucking Manager.”
“Hiruma-kun!” Mamori scolded, but she couldn’t help but smile and laugh softly. The baby gurgled, just curiously. “Hey, Shuuji, did you hear that? The greatest Quarterback in Japan has told me that I’ll make a great Kindergarten Teacher…”
“Let’s run away.”
Mamori froze in her spot, the words slowly sinking in. She slowly looked at Hiruma, clearly surprised and confused. “What?”
Hiruma grinned widely. “You heard me… let’s run away.”
“Wait, no!” Mamori cried out, causing the baby to whimper in surprise. She quickly rocked the baby, shushing it before finally speaking quickly, “We can’t just run away! There’s so much we have to do now! I have to finish my studies to be a Kindergarten Teacher… and aren’t you trying to join that Football Team from America?”
“Fuck them,” he said, and Mamori couldn’t help but notice how angry he suddenly looked. “Fucking assholes talk big but their talent’s nothing but shit.”
“Hiruma! Not in front of Shuuji!” Mamori scolded at Hiruma’s cursing.
“He’s too young to understand shit!” cried Hiruma.
“You’d be surprised at how well children can perceive these things! I did a study on this once where even a baby in a mother’s womb could perceive certain fears and habits and…” Suddenly Mamori shook her head. “Wait, that’s beside the point! Hiruma-kun, you know very well how much being in that team would do for you.” She sighed, trying to keep her frustrations in order. “You can go far, Hiruma-kun. Your talent as a tactician will grow and you can be a better player than you are now… Don’t hold back. Don’t run away just because of me. I’ll come after you, I promise… just…”
Hiruma stared back at her coldly. She could tell he was thinking deeply about what she had just said. The baby squirmed in her arms, sensing her doubts and fears. Was Hiruma right? Was the team really that bad? But there was only so much Japan could offer…
Then suddenly, a light cackle escaped from Hiruma’s lips. “I guess you won’t be phased that easily, Fucking Manager.”
“Eh?”
“Fine, I’ll come back for you,” he said, a playful grin on his face. “And the moment I come back, you better be ready to run away with me.”
“Stop using those words!” Mamori snapped a little. “It makes it sound like we’re… we’re…”
Then it struck Mamori. Why Hiruma was really here, why they were arguing and why he insisted on running away… She couldn’t help but smile as she came to that realization. Warm feelings blossomed within her. “So that’s why you’re here…”
“And why am I here, Fucking Manager?” he said, his grin growing wider.
“To remind me that I can make my own decisions, regardless of what people say or think,” she said, smiling softly. “Really, Hiruma-kun, you could have done that in a nicer way.”
He cackled. “Not my style, Fucking Manager. Besides, I got the answer that I wanted from you earlier. I wanted to make sure that that’s what you really want, and not because some fucking idiots are pressuring you to do so.”
Mamori looked down, a little ashamed. It definitely wasn’t like her at all.
“But I mean it when I say I’ll come back for you…”
Mamori raised her eyes to look straight into his. There was a strong resolve in his eyes, one that she knew all too well. “Are you sure that’s what you want? It may take years.”
“Does it look like I fucking care?” Hiruma began to walk towards her slowly. “Or do I need to reassure you by saying petty little things like you mean so much to me… that I can’t see a future without you?”
She blushed at his words. It definitely was strange hearing it from him. “No, you don’t have to…”
“Why’s that?” Hiruma was very close to her now, almost a breath away.
Mamori laughed a little before replying, “Because I already know.” She tilted her head forward and Hiruma instantly pressed his lips against hers, breathing in the moment before finally pulling apart.
“Keh, Fucking Brat’s finally asleep.”
Mamori looked at the baby in her arms and was surprised that Hiruma was right. The infant was sound asleep and snuggled comfortably in Mamori’s arms. “How strange…”
Hiruma stayed with Mamori for a moment before finally deciding to leave. Shuuji’s parents would return soon, and despite Mamori’s insistence that she didn’t mind having Hiruma around, it was true they weren’t certain that the couple would feel comfortable at the sight of Hiruma.
As he left, Mamori wondered about the world and how they viewed her relationship with Hiruma. Whether it was strange that she was willing to chase after him, or that he was willing to come back for her. They were so mismatched in a number of ways… but it doesn’t matter now. Because as the day they would part draws closer, it became clear of how much they mean to each other.
And when the day they decide to ‘run away’ comes, a new, exciting journey awaited them both.