Chapter Text
“Oh— good afternoon, Aizawa-San.” The barista—who was but a college student— greeted him.
He was clearly a bit taken aback by his presence.
“You're here alone?” He tilted his head to the side slightly, his eyes roaming around looking for his family.
They came to the cafe pretty often but—
“I apologize for interrupting your work, kid. Have you seen my son, Hitoshi? The purple haired teen.”
Shouta did not have time to waste at the moment.
The boy—Hizashi always laughed at him for calling him a boy since the barista was taller—huffed a small laugh light-heartedly, “I know who Shinsou-kun is,”
He hummed for a second, a pensive look on his face, “I don't think I have seen him around today. Isn't he supposed to be at school?”
“Could you let me know if you see him around?” Shouta answered immediately, ignoring the boy’s question.
The barista seemed a bit surprised but nodded regardless, “Of-of course!”
Shouta thanked the boy before turning around.
He had looked for Hitoshi for a few hours now, hopping from building to building. At this point, his panic was starting to settle deeper and deeper.
He went back home, checked the dorms, and even the other cat cafe Hitoshi liked to go to.
Any store, restaurant, or place that his son liked was subject to his search.
Which thankfully weren't many as Hitoshi was someone who did not like trying new things and would rather stick to the same few places.
It took Shouta exactly 3 hours before he found himself back at UA.
The kid had not answered any of his calls but he knew he was receiving them.
So he came to a logical conclusion.
An easier way to find out exactly where Hitoshi was.
He opened the door to class 1-A and immediately, the class went silent.
Ectoplasm looked at him with slight surprise, but he probably could already tell what he was there for.
Without wasting a single second, his eyes landed on one person,
“Midoriya,” The boy jumped from his seat. He then turned to one other person, “and Kaminari, outside. Now.”
The entire class looked at them, some with curiosity, others with fear.
Shouta turned around, refusing to entertain the rest of them.
Once both teens stood outside and the door was closed, Shouta turned to look at them,
“Where is my son?”
Midoriya and Kaminari glanced at each other, panic written all over their faces—he could even swear both teens had begun sweating.
The first to speak was the green haired boy, “Aizawa-sensei, we don't—”
Aizawa narrowed his eyes, “You both have exactly one minute to tell me where he is or I'm expelling both of you.”
The boys gawked at him.
“Bu-but Sensei,” Kaminari stuttered as he tried to figure what to say,
“50 seconds.”
“Sensei, we just thought he was sick. Are you sure he's not at home?” Midoriya tried.
He raised an eyebrow at the boy, “He was here for first period, so you knew he wasn't sick.”
“35 seconds.” He added
Kaminari opened his mouth, “He didn't tell us where he was going! I swear, he just said he was leaving.”
“If there is someone in your class that knows where Hitoshi went, and I know there is, it is one of you two. 20 seconds.” He continued to glare, watching slowly as they became even more panicked.
“Sensei!” “Aizawa-sensei—”
“15 seconds.”
Both boys looked at each other, but said nothing.
Shouta turned his quirk on—
He was well aware of how intimidating he looked like when he did.
“10….9…..8…..7—”
“Okay! Okay!”
Shouta stopped counting, looking directly at the electric boy.
Kaminari took a deep breath before blurting out, “Toshi said he was going to the hospital.”
And with that—
“Get back to class.”
Shouta left.
_______________________
Hizashi paced around the house in circles.
Home.
Shouta had gone back home after interrogating Kaminari and Midoriya—
Which honestly had surprised him.
More than he would like to admit really.
He thought the man would go after Hitoshi, but instead, he went back home.
Well—
Not exactly.
The man had gone to the hospital, he went inside and even asked the nurses for Hitoshi—
.
.
“Oh, yes. He is currently with Yamada-San. He's been here for a while.” Hizashi's nurse spoke with a kind smile.
Shouta nodded curtly before beginning to make his way to his hospital room.
Hizashi looked at the woman for a few seconds, there was a certain uncertainty behind her eyes, but her face remained calm. He sighed, turning around to follow Shouta close behind, biting the inside of his cheek.
His room was close, so getting there did not take long.
Right as they approached the door, Shouta's hand hovered at the doorknob. His fingers twitched slightly when they brushed the cold metal, recoiling as if he had been burned.
.
.
And then his husband turned around and left.
Hizashi had considered staying and checking on Hitoshi himself, but he figured it made no difference regardless.
It's not like he would be able to do anything.
And he also did not feel like looking at his own, unconscious body. It was somewhat disturbing, he looked pale and soulless.
Hizashi mourned his tan for a short moment, not that it was much to begin with but still.
He stopped pacing and rubbed his eyes.
He was pretty sure Shouta had texted Mirio to take Eri since he had seen the boy's name pop up on his phone a couple of times.
No, he was not snooping.
Hizashi respected his partner's privacy.
He had just— caught a glimpse of it by accident.
Currently, his husband was sitting on the couch petting Sushi—who had claimed his lap as her own.
Was he a little jealous?
Yes, and he was not ashamed to admit it! He literally hadn't been able to hold his husband for over a month.
Anyway—
There were far more important issues at the moment.
Like his son.
To be honest, Hizashi wasn't sure of what Shouta was planning on doing.
Hitoshi's behavior was extremely out of character.
By the time he heard the door open, Hizashi's heart was already pounding heavily against his chest, he could feel his own hands shaking.
Hitoshi walked into the living room, freezing when his eyes met Shouta's. The boy's eyes were red and puffy.
“Sit down,” Shouta looked at the teen calmly.
Sushi—who had looked up when Hitoshi walked by—decided to leave his comfy spot in Shouta's lap.
Hitoshi glanced at the couch and then at Shouta again, uncertainty was basically vibrating out of his body.
“I'm not playing around, Hitoshi. I'm asking you to sit.”
Slowly, Hitoshi walked towards the edge of the couch, sitting down, his eyes glued to the floor.
Hizashi let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.
Shouta took a deep breath, “What exactly did you expect was going to happen? I'm your homeroom teacher.”
Hitoshi did not look up, “You weren't there.”
The excuse sounded lame to anyone who could hear it, Hizashi knew it.
He was sure the kid did too.
There were a few seconds of silence before Hitoshi spoke again, his voice small, “You are going to return me.
Hizashi watched his son carefully, he wasn't asking a question.
Either because he thought it was a fact that he was getting returned or because he didn't feel safe asking a question.
And he didn't like any of those options.
Thankfully, neither did Shouta, “That is not how we do things here, Hitoshi. You are my son, no matter what.”
But the kid did not react at all to his words.
“Hitoshi,” Shouta's voice echoed around the room, “Returning you is not and will never be a remote possibility.”
After a few seconds, Hitoshi did seem to relax slightly at that. Still, Hizashi could see him fidgeting with his hands.
“However,” Shouta continued, “What you did today is not acceptable. I was worried, Hitoshi.”
Hizashi watched his husband with immense pride.
He knew how hard admitting to Hitoshi that he had been worried was. Communication had always been a struggle in their relationship—and they still weren't perfect at it— but after agreeing to adopt Hitoshi, and later on Eri, they had promised to try harder.
To be an example for the kids.
Hitoshi glanced at Shouta for a second before looking down again, “I'm sorry. I… I thought you went to see Papa.”
And back to silence.
But Hizashi was going insane. He was literally biting his lips as he watched the whole scene play out.
It was going well, but he knew they still needed to talk about a lot more than that.
“Did Hizashi ever tell you how we got together?”
The question had been completely unprompted.
Both Hitoshi and Hizashi ducked their heads to the side, if Shouta could see him, it would have been pretty comedic how in sync they had been.
Hizashi wasn't sure of where Shouta was trying to get at.
“Uh—” Hitoshi started, “Not really, I just assumed you guys got together in highschool.”Shouta huffed lightly, “No. It took us much longer than that.”
There was certainly nostalgia to his tone. Hitoshi was finally looking at the man, but this time, Shouta's eye was lost in a different time.
“When Hizashi and I were in high school, we lost one of our best friends during a villain attack,” Shouta's voice was calm as he spoke, but the heaviness could be felt all over the room.
“That friend—he was close to us, but I didn't deal with his loss well and… Well, neither did Hizashi.” Shouta grimaced slightly at that.
Hizashi couldn't take his eyes off Shouta as he spoke.
He never expected the man to tell anyone about Oboro, especially not right now.
After a short pause he continued, “But I didn't know that at the time. I thought he had moved on. I pushed him away for years and, although we still saw each other often, we didn't actually know each other.”
Hizashi’s eyes filled with sadness at Shouta’s words. They had truly wasted a lot of precious time.
Hitoshi watched Shouta with a slight frown, trying to decipher what the man was actually trying to tell him.
The pause from Shouta this time was a bit longer, and Hitoshi took the opportunity to ask, “What was his name? Your…your friend, I mean.”
Shouta's eye met Hitoshi's, probably for the first time since they had started the conversation.
“Oboro Shirakumo.”
Hitoshi nodded, prompting Shouta to continue.
“I got better with time and one day—” Shouta took a shaky breath, “I found out that Hizashi wasn't.”
“And worst of all. I realized I was part of the reason he hadn't been able to heal, so I promised I would be a better friend for him. Hizashi deserved better.”
Shouta closed his eye, something he always did when he started to feel overwhelmed.
Hizashi sat next to him, resting his head on the man's shoulder.
A part of him had always regretted the condition in which Shouta had found him that day.
The man was definitely sparing Hitoshi many details, which Hizashi was thankful for.
Another part of him was grateful though. It was thanks to that day, that Hizashi had been able to slowly get better. Shouta hadn't fully healed either, so in the end, it helped both of them.
And his relationship with Shouta improved too.
Shouta exhaled before deciding to continue, “We went out one night for a few drinks. We had drank a decent amount,”
Shouta huffed a laugh and Hizashi smiled at the memory, he could still remember it so clearly. Even after so many years.
“Yet, with all the noise in the background and the music, Hizashi was all I could focus on. I realized that the man besides me was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
Shouta looked at Hitoshi, a warm smile on his face. Hitoshi sent him a small smile as well before turning it into a smirk, “I didn't know you could be so sappy.”
The comment had been thrown with no venom though, and Shouta rolled his eye, “Yeah, well, I've spent too many years with Hizashi. Some of his sappiness would eventually rub off.”
Hizashi barked a laugh, “Excuse me? You have always been a sappy man loooong before we started dating.”
The laugh died down pretty quickly though, Hizashi’s chest felt empty.
Neither of them could hear him.
“Hitoshi,” Shouta’s expression went back to a serious one. Still, some softness remained.
“I didn't intend to hide my feelings from you. You deserve the truth and the truth is— I already lost two of my best friends, losing a third one scared me. Losing Hizashi scares me.”
Hizashi's breath hitched at the confession.
He bit his lip, unsure of what to do with the sudden emotions that hit him at once.
It was somewhat overwhelming. He hadn't realized how much hearing those words would affect him.
And looking at Hitoshi, the boy felt similarly—
Hitoshi’s eyes were now glassy, his fingers curling against his pants turned white.
“That being said,” Shouta placed both hands on his knees,” I don't want my feelings to be something you have to carry with you. I am an adult and you are my child. I'm telling you this because I want to be a good example for you and Eri, but it is not a burden for you to carry.” Shouta looked even more serious now.
“I will find someone to talk about these feelings with, but it is not your responsibility.”
Hitoshi nodded once more. The silence that followed wasn't an uncomfortable one this time. Sadness lingered in the air but Hitoshi and Shouta looked at each other with fondness.
It would take more than a single conversation to fix everything, to fully get rid of doubts and let trust in, but it was a good step.
Hitoshi took a shaky breath, “Can—Can I hug you, dad?” He looked at Shouta with shyness.
Shouta's whole body relaxed as he got up and walked towards their kid, wrapping his arms around the boy firmly.
“Don't ever forget this, Hitoshi. You, Eri, and Hizashi are the most important people in my life.”
Hitoshi huffed a wet laugh, “You really are a sappy old man.”
But despite his words, the boy did not let go. Instead, bringing his dad closer and burying his head on his chest.
Hizashi sniffed, unable to hold back the tears that welled in his eyes.
He took a step forward to join the hug—Because he had full intentions of joining that hug even if they didn't know he was there—
but before he could get close enough—
Hizashi was swallowed by darkness.
___________________________
Waking up to the bright cool light of a hospital was a feeling Hizashi did not miss.
It wasn't a very frequent occurrence but it had definitely happened before.
It took him a hot minute to be able to focus on any of his senses.
Everything just felt muffled and hazy, but he generally felt fine.
The world around him was completely silent, something that he hadn't experienced for the past month, but a feeling that he wouldn't forget.
After all, he lost his hearing long before he could even have his first memory.
But it did tell him one thing—
He did not have his hearing aids.
Looking around, he saw a monitor. His heart rate going up and down, the rhythm steady.
Hizashi could actually feel the bed he was laying on.
His body also felt sore—Which was both an absolute relief and a full on nightmare.
Hizashi gripped the bedsheets and tried to sit up slowly.
The uncomfortable tugging of the nasogastric tube going down his throat made him cringe.
And worst of all, he found that sitting up had taken way more energy than it should have.
Hizashi took a few deep breaths, trying to get rid of the fatigued feeling all around him. He was confident that if he closed his eyes, he would instantly fall asleep once more.
It didn't take long before the nurse walked in.
She seemed surprised but recovered quickly—after kindly giving him his hearing aids back— she asked him a few questions and did a quick assessment before leaving to call the doctor and his husband.
To be honest—
Hizashi had really hoped for a beautiful movie like reunion,
But no.
This was reality.
And the reality was that he had spent an entire 5 weeks—almost 6 weeks— in a coma.
He was weak, he was tired, his voice was groggy, and he kind of felt overwhelmed with suddenly being able to feel everything around him.
He considered turning off his hearing aids just to have one less sense to worry about.
However,
Every single one of his thoughts came to halt when he saw a short blur of silver hair—one he knew too well to miss— walk into his room.
Of course followed by a much taller purple and black blur.
Also, no—
He did not have his glasses.
Hizashi smiled brightly at his family, opening his arms wide.
Both kids launched—yes, launched— themselves at him.
Knocking out the wind from his chest.
From the corner of his eye, he could see the nurse watching with a horrified expression.
Still, Hizashi embraced both kids tightly. Placing soft kisses on their foreheads as they both cried.
And if his own eyes filled with tears—
Well, no one commented on it.
“How are my two—” Hizashi made eye contact with Shouta, “Well, my three favorite listeners doing?”
Hitoshi separated slightly from the man, just enough to see his face, he sniffed, “You sound like shit.”
Hizashi smiled and then pinched the boy's cheek and pulled lightly, “Language!”
And then— A sudden thought came to his mind.
Time to put on his serious parent face.
Hizashi puckered his lips and frowned,”I'm not too happy about your recent behavior, young man.”
If Hizashi had been able to take a picture of Shouta's and Hitoshi’s face at that moment, he would have.
He kinda hoped that he had.
Eri just popped her head out from his shoulder, her eyes glowing with confusion and curiosity.
But Hitoshi—
He was petrified, his mouth wide open.
Like a fish.
He could see the gears turning in the boy's head at what Hizashi was saying
Shouta was just frowning deeply, but Hizashi hadn't missed the split second in which his face had mirrored Hitoshi's.
All the kiddo was able to muster was a simple, “What?”
Hizashi kept his disappointed parent expression, “You heard me. I never thought I would see the day you start rebelling."
However, he couldn't stop himself from smiling brightly again.
He would mess with them more later.
Right now though—
There was one thing missing.
Hizashi kept his hold on both kids and then he turned to look at his husband,
“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to join, Mr. Sappy?”
A small glint of suspicion crossed through his husband's eye, but the man let it go right away, his safe softening.
Shouta walked towards them and hugged them.
As overwhelming as his senses felt, he couldn't help but relax against his family. They were warm—alive— and he could actually feel them.
He could feel Eri's little fingers clinging to his arm, Hitoshi's soft curls brushing his cheek, and Shouta's forehead pressed against his temple.
Hizashi took the opportunity to give the man a peck on the cheek and even though his face was mostly hidden, Hizashi was still able to see the small smile that adorned his husband's face.
Unfortunately, all nice things come to an end. The next hours had been filled with assessments, tests, medical plans of care, and a report to his agency.
Although he was mostly honest about what had happened to him, he had remained vague about his wish.
It wasn't really something his agency needed to know. They were far too nosey anyway.
By the time he was discharged— And boy had Shouta fought for him to get discharged that day,
It was already night time.
Shouta carried Eri—who had fallen asleep— as they walked outside.
Hizashi had really wanted to be the one carrying her, but after only a few minutes, his muscles started to give up.
Plus the nurses had greatly discouraged it.
If anything, Hitoshi was standing by his side, helping him steady his gait with every step.
It wasn't nearly as bad as when he tried to stand up for the first time, but it was still a nice gesture from the boy.
The doctors had told him that he was healthy, but it would take a while to get his endurance and even balance back to what it was before.
It was unfortunate, but it was a journey he wouldn't need to do alone.
“So…” Hitoshi started right as they settled in the car, “You saw everything that happened?”
Hizashi perked up, “If by everything you mean your nightly escapes and you skipping school, then yes!”
Hitoshi's face went red, Hizashi turned to look at him, but the kid refused to make eye contact. Hizashi snickered slightly at his reaction.
“What was your wish anyway?” Hitoshi mumbled, his cheeks still slightly red.
Ah—
The question Hizashi had been anticipating for a while.
He had been vague with his agency but his family was smart, of course they would question it.
Hizashi tapped his finger against the armrest of the car.
He had considered for a while whether he would be honest or not.
But Hizashi had reached a logical conclusion,
“Oh it was so silly!” He chirped, perhaps a bit too quickly, “I just wanted to know what you guys thought of me!”
Hitoshi—and even Shouta who had reached a red light— turned to look at him, their faces dumbfounded.
“It wasn't even a conscious wish though,” he shrugged, looking out the window—
The city lights were bright.
Almost blinding.
“It had just been a passing thought, and then boom! I was a ghost.”
Hitoshi's eyebrows raised slightly, a glint of realization crossing his eyes, “I see…”
The boy probably figured that the conversation he had with Shouta had brought him back—
And it's not like he would be wrong.
Just not exactly the way he thought
It wasn't necessary to let them know the truth. He knows that sounds selfish and, in a way, goes against their ‘communication’ policy, but he knew it was the right choice.
Hizashi had made that wish in a moment of insecurity, if he were to tell his family the truth, they might find a way to blame themselves or want more explanations than he's willing to give.
.
.
“Tuna my baby!” Hizashi grabbed the cat, rubbing his face against hers.
He had been pleasantly greeted by Tuna the moment he walked in through the door.
Hizashi was going to make sure to give her as many treats as she wanted.
“My baby, did you miss me? Of course you missed me!” He kissed her head, and she purred strongly, the vibrations going all the way down his arms.
She wasn't the only one to notice his presence—
“Hello Sushi!” He greeted the cat with a smile before turning back to Tuna.
Shouta clicked his tongue, petting Sushi’s head, “Favoritism at its finest.”
Sushi did not seem to care, instead, she continued to demand attention from Shouta—who happily obliged.
Once both cats were satisfied, they parted ways—mostly they went to eat— and Hizashi stretched his back.
He felt restless. The idea of laying down and sleeping was not something he liked, but his body was basically begging for it.
“It's been a long day,” Shouta glanced at him, “You should go to bed. I can bring you tea.”
Hizashi smiled at him, “It's alright, I'll drink it in the kitchen with you.”
Hitoshi took that as a sign, making his way to the kitchen, “I'll get started on that,” He stopped for a second and turned to Shouta, “You should put Eri to bed.”
The girl—who was still being carried by Shouta—stirred a little, “Mn no sleepy.”
Hizashi hadn't realized she was still—somewhat—awake. He could have sworn she was completely passed out in the car.
Hizashi ruffled Eri's hair, “You're basically sleeping already, Princess.”
She shook her head, her eyebrows knitting together, “No. Down.” Her words were muffled but Shouta complied regardless, placing the girl down.
He kept a steady hand on her shoulder, making sure she wouldn't trip.
“Do you want a snack?” Hizashi asked turning towards the kitchen, “That might help you stay awa—”
Hizashi felt something pulling his sleeve.
“No! Wait wait!” Eri looked hazy. Still, she was a determined girl, sleep wouldn't defeat her.
She took a deep breath, the gears turning in her brain as she thought about her words carefully, “I have something for you, Papa.”
Hizashi huffed a laugh, “Is that so, sweetheart? Well, I can't wait!”
Eri's eyes lit up at his words, but she kept a serious expression, “Stay here.”
Eri ran to her room—or at least he assumed she did.
After a few short seconds, she came back, a pile of paper in her hands.
She handed the papers to him, “I made them,”
Hizashi grabbed them carefully, they were the drawings Eri had made for him while he was in coma. Flipping through them, he could recognize a few of them, though not all.
Some were of just him, in both civilian and hero clothes, but most of the drawings were of all of them together.
One was of them cuddling while watching a movie. Hizashi had a giant bowl of popcorn, Eri and Hitoshi were in the middle, and Shouta was at their side sleeping.
Another one was of all of them getting ready for school.
Hizashi's breath hitched slightly when he reached the final drawing,
It was him standing in the kitchen, it appeared that he was cooking something—Hizashi couldn't really tell what Eri had drawn on the pan— with some musical notes drawn next to his head.
Shouta stood next to him with—what he assumed was—coffee. The man's eyes had eye bags underneath but he was smiling.
At the table, Hitoshi and Eri were sitting down. Shinsou had a similar expression to Shouta's, while Eri's mouth was open with a wide smile.
At the top, Eri had written in big letters,
I love you, papa
Hizashi looked down at the girl, she raised her hands when their eyes met. Although the words she signed were shaky, they were more than clear as she raised her small thumb to her forehead, “I really love you, papa.”
He tried to ignore the stinging of his eyes as he mirrored her signs, only changing the last one, “I love you, too.”
Eri stared at his hands for a second before smiling brightly at him.
They had been teaching Eri sign language for a while now, but the girl had never initiated the use of it.
Hizashi wasn't even sure he had taught her how to say ‘I love you’
He turned to look at his husband, who was leaning on the wall with a proud smile.
“Well, princess,” Hizashi lowered himself to be at eye level, “Thank you for the drawings, who would have thought you were so talented!”
Eri’s cheeks turned a rosy pink at his words. Still, she was unable to stop the yawn that escaped her mouth.
Hizashi chuckled, “But I think it's time to head to bed, love.”
Eri seemed to deflate slightly at his words, but nodded regardless, “Tug me in?” She looked at him, hopefully.
His heart squeezed at her expression. He was the luckiest man on Earth.
“Of course.”
.
.
After reassuring Eri multiple times that he would still be there in the morning, Hizashi finally made his way to the kitchen.
Every step he took felt heavy, his calves and the soles of his feet felt like they were burning.
As he walked into the kitchen, Hizashi smiled, making sure not to let any strain show.
Hitoshi and Shouta were both there, each with a cup of—probably— coffee judging by the smell.
There was a third mug on the counter though, the liquid much clearer, only but a tint of green to it.
Shouta handed it to him and pulled a chair, his head nodding towards it.
It took a second for him to realize what his husband was trying to do.
Hizashi cooed while taking the drink from the man, “You are soooo romantic!” He took a seat on the chair, hearing Shouta's soft huff.
“I'll have you know that I am happily married though,” He teased, a smirk on his face.
“What a shame.” Shouta answered, and despite the monotone words, Hizashi could hear some amusement in his tone.
Hizashi put a hand up to his chin, “But I suppose I could make an exception for you.” He winked at the man.
But before Shouta could answer, a different voice made both of them turn,
“Ugh— get a room.” Hitoshi mumbled, his face grimacing.
Shouta rolled his eye and Hizashi chuckled, “Oh Toshi, do we need to have the birds and bees talk with you? You see when two consenting adults love each other—”
Hizashi felt his voice give out on him, his throat clenching. Not enough for him to stop breathing, but enough to feel uncomfortable. Without a second thought, he turned to Shouta with a pout.
A singular red eye stared back at him. He could hear Hitoshi sighing, “Thank you.”
Hizashi glared at the boy, his pout deepening. He could probably get a few words out if he really tried. Ever since Shouta lost his other eye, his quirk was no longer as strong, so although it made it very difficult for him, he could still make noise.
But he wasn't really planning on giving Hitoshi the talk to begin with.
After what seemed like a million years—although Shouta would insist that it was no more than 10 seconds— Shouta's hair fell down and Hizashi could feel his voice coming back to him.
“You two are no fun,” He mumbled and continued to drink his tea.
Silence followed as the three of them finished their respective drinks, the only sound being Hizashi's fingers tapping on his mug with a loose rhythm.
“Uhm—”
Hizashi looked up at Hitoshi, whose words seemed to have dried out in his throat. He could feel Shouta doing the same thing next to him.
The boy seemed nervous, his leg moving side to side before finally settling with staying still.
Too still, actually.
“Are you mad at me?” Hitoshi's voice was quiet, but Hizashi didn't miss the fact that the boy had been brave enough to ask.
That made his heart swell with pride.
But he would dwell on those feelings later.
Hizashi looked at his son for a few seconds, considering his words carefully, “Of course not,”
Hitoshi glanced at him and then looked away.
If the boy had been close, he would have definitely ruffled Hitoshi's hair, “Just—” he continued, “don't forget that you can always talk to either of us. Talking will resolve things a lot quicker than sneaking out.”
Hitoshi nodded slowly, his eyes glued to his mug, “I will.” He took a deep breath, placing the mug down, “I should probably head to bed then. It's pretty late…”
He took the mug to the sink and started making his way out of the kitchen.
“Sleep well, little listener!”
“Goodnight.”
Both Hizashi and Shouta spoke. Hizashi turned back to his tea, he was almost done.
And it was getting lukewarm so it might be best to finish it in one sip.
“Um—”
Hizashi looked up at the boy, Hitoshi was standing right by the exit looking nervous once again.
He played with the hems of his sleeves, looking at everything but him.
He stayed silent, trying to allow the kid to build up the confidence to say whatever it is that was in his mind.
“I'm glad you're back—” Hitoshi looked at him for a split second before looking away again, “Papa.”
Before Hizashi could respond, the boy had already bolted out of the room.
All he could do was turn to Shouta, as if trying to confirm that he had heard right. His husband simply nodded at him, a knowing look in his face.
Hizashi already knew that Hitoshi called him Papa, but actually hearing him say it knowing that he could hear it, was a completely different feeling.
He chugged the rest of his tea, swallowing down with it the knot that had formed in his throat.
He was not about to cry over Hitoshi calling him Papa.
Something moving caught his attention though.
He froze at the sight in front of him.
An open hand—a clear invitation to be taken— Hizashi looked at the hand and then back at his husband with amusement, “What a gentleman,”
Shouta shook his head, unimpressed with his antics, but did not move his hand.
Hizashi could probably make more jokes but they all died at the tip of his tongue. He grabbed Shouta's hand, it was warm and calloused.
It was sort of odd for Shouta to be the warm one out of the two, but Hizashi had never minded.
A quiet “Thank you.” was all Hizashi was able to muster as Shouta supported him to his feet and into their bedroom, both of their mugs forgotten at the table.
Both of them sat down in bed. Although Hizashi was very tempted to take his hearing aids off and pass out, he continued to look at his husband.
It was clear that the man wanted to say something—not that he needed to wait long to find out—
“What was your wish?”
The question should have probably caught him more off guard than it actually did.
Of course Shouta knew.
And of course he knew that Shouta knew. He had hoped that the man had been fooled as well, but he knew better than that.
Nothing ever got past Shouta. He was way too smart for his well being.
But Hizashi also knew how to play the game.
His husband’s eye turned to him and for a moment, he couldn't help but get lost in it. It was so serene.
Hizashi deeply mourned the day Shouta lost his other eye.
He hummed, a lopsided smile forming on his lips, “What makes you think I was lying before?”
Shouta gave him a flat look.
Oh— did Hizashi love this man with all his heart.
Hizashi pressed his hand against the other man's forehead, scooping the lone strands of black hair and tugging them behind his ear.
Shouta did not stop looking at him, but he still felt him melt slightly against his touch.
“My wish,” Hizashi closed the distance between them slightly, rubbing his nose against Shouta's—whose cheeks turned a rosy pink at his gesture, “Was actually to know what you, specifically, thought of me.”
There was a beat of silence in which Shouta simply stared at him with raised eyebrows.
His husband looked away, before mumbling, “Why would you wish for something like that?” Slight disbelief clear in his tone.
“Well,” Hizashi backed off slightly, deciding it was unnecessary to fluster the man any further, “I wasn't lying when I said it had just been a passing thought. I didn't know it would even count as a full on wish!”
Shouta's eyes narrowed slightly, he didn't fully look convinced, but there was no reason for him to lie.
At least—not any Shouta should know or even suspect about.
It was just a small tiny lie, everything else had been true.
There were very few things Hizashi would take to his grave in regards to his husband. It wasn't the first—Nor the worst— thing he would keep from Shouta.
He shared basically everything with him, even the uncomfortable truths.
But some information was just hurtful to know, and it would change nothing.
And—
Before he could overthink anymore, there was a sudden weight on his body, lips pressed against his.
Hizashi's eyes went wide for a second, but he returned the kiss immediately. He slid his hand down to the man's neck and wrapped his fingers gently around the back, pulling him in.
It was long, hungry—
Not with lust
But longing.
Shouta broke the kiss just as abruptly as he had begun it.
Hizashi smiled at the way Shouta looked away, a slight blush on his cheeks.
It was funny how after all their years together, the man still felt shy around him.
Not that he didn't, but still.
“Hizashi,” Shouta looked him in the eyes, his eye serious, “I love you.”
Hizashi’s eyes crinkled as he smiled,
“I love you, too.”
They stared into each others eyes for a few seconds, Hizashi could feel the heat start to rise to his cheeks, so he did what he knows how to do best—
“So… since I was in a sort of vegetative state, do you think I made a cute-cumber?”
Ruin the moment.
Shouta's face morphed into a disappointed grimace, “Silence was an option.”
Hizashi gave a small laugh, “C'mon Shou-chan, you looooove my lame jokes.”
His husband sighed—a bit too dramatically if he might add— but before Hizashi could say anything, Shouta kissed him again.
His husband huffed once he broke the kiss,
“Unfortunately.”