Gold, Raven, & Lavender: An Erasermic Family Fanfic

Chapter 14: No Matter Where We Are

The elevator doors slid open with a faint rasp of metal on metal, allowing Shouta to step out onto the carpeted hallway leading to his hotel room. He was carrying a small stack of papers under one arm and absentmindedly fidgeting with the end of his capture weapon as he walked. Once he reached the door marked with a black "309," Shouta fished around in his pocket to produce a simple, plastic key card. He swiped it through the scanner beside the doorknob and was rewarded by the sound of clicking gears, the flash of a green light, and an all-too-cheerful chime coming from the mechanism. Pocketing the card once more, Shouta opened the door and stepped into the darkened room beyond.

All the lights were off, the blinds closed and curtains drawn, and what little sunlight managed to seep in gave the room an odd, greenish hue. But even in the dim light, Shouta could vaguely make out Hizashi's form on one of the hotel beds along with Mizuki curled up beside him. He was sitting cross-legged with his back propped against the headboard, rocking back and forth and humming a discordant little tune. As Shouta moved closer he could see Hitoshi was firmly nestled in Mic's arms, asleep with a pacifier in his mouth. He was holding onto Cat Stevens with one hand while the other was curled into the fabric of Mic's threadbare t-shirt.

"Zashi?" Shouta said, voice barely above a whisper as he placed a gentle hand on his husband's shoulder. Hizashi ceased humming to look up at his husband. His normally bright demeanor had been replaced by palpable exhaustion, dark circles shadowing his sunken eyes and a sickly pallor to his skin. Even his golden locks, which he was so careful to maintain, had grown greasier and more tangled by the day.

"Let me take him for a minute." Shouta said, keeping one hand on Hizashi's shoulder while laying the other on his wrist. "You look like you could use a break."

"M'fine." Came Hizashi's mumbled reply. Shouta didn't miss the way Hizashi's shoulders tensed under his touch, or how his arms tightened around the sleeping baby ever so slightly.

"You are not fine." Shouta stated plainly, "You're hardly eating and you haven't had a good night's sleep since we came here. Don't think I haven't noticed how much you've been staying up."

"You do it all the time." Hizashi shot back tersely. Shouta sighed, set down the papers on the opposite bed, and sat down next to his spouse.

"This isn't about me so don't start acting like a child. I'm worried about you, Hizashi. This isn't like you."

Hizashi didn't respond. Instead he turned his gaze back onto Hitoshi and resumed his gentle rocking. Realizing he would get nowhere by being gruff, Shouta opted to offer his husband a simple compromise.

"Why don't you at least take a quick shower, Zashi? You're starting to smell pretty ripe. I can watch Hitoshi while you clean up, then give him right back once you're done.

Hizashi seemed to seriously consider the idea for a moment, but Shouta could see the twinge of fear that flashed across his face. Then, in small, cracked voice Hizashi squeaked out, "What if something happens?"

"Nothing's going to happen." Shouta calmly reassured him, giving his shoulder a light squeeze. "Everything will be just fine. Don't you trust me?"

Hizashi paused, eyes darting between husband and child like one of them would provide the right answer to the question. But then he gave a short nod and gently passed the baby over to his spouse. Hitoshi barely stirred, only giving a small gurgle as he was transferred into the hero's waiting arms before snuggling deeper into the fabric of Shouta's black shirt.

"I'll be back in a moment." Hizashi promised as he slid off the end of the bed, snagging a fresh set of clothes from the tiny closet and jostling Mizuki in the process. The cat gave a yowl of displeasure before stretching and walking over the duvet to take up new residence on Hizashi's abandoned pillow. Once Hizashi was behind the closed bathroom door and he could hear the water running, Shouta shifted the sleeping Hitoshi into the crook of one arm and stood up from the bed. He carried the baby over to the portable bassinet he'd purchased after their first night in the hotel and carefully laid him inside of it. Once he had him comfortably settled with his cat plush and blanket by his side, Shouta returned to the stack of papers, shuffling and sorting them to his liking. By the time Hizashi reemerged from the steamy bathroom, changed into a clean shirt and boxers with a towel slung across his shoulders, Shouta had organized the papers into four, neat piles at the foot of the bed.