strangled

²³manipulation at its finest

warning: (f/n) acts a bit mean, but you can determine yourself if it's justified or not.

Next day arrives quickly which isn't a bad thing.

You woke up earlier this morning on the ground in your living room, curled up in a fetal position.

At first you were confused but then you remembered you passed out in that spot the night before. Seemed as though Shouto was feeling strangely considerate; when your eyes popped open the first thing you saw was your bruised body wrapped tight in a blanket.

You didn't fall asleep like that.

When you got up and peeped your head into your bedroom you saw that Shouto was still asleep on the mattress, despite it being near afternoon. Something was definitely off about him now. Not only did he care enough to make you feel comforted, he also stayed home from work for once?

It's clear that your husband has something up his sleeve. Whatever it is, you'll be ready for it.

Currently, you are sitting at the kitchen table cutting up carrots to make soup for dinner. It's near nighttime. The sky outside the window is turning dark and Shouto still hasn't come out the bedroom. You pretend to not care, but on the inside you are intrigued. Not because you're worried, but because you're curious.

Suddenly a sharp pain goes through your lower stomach. The pain is familiar but still dreadful to deal with. Rushing to the bathroom, you almost trip over a potted plant. You let out a breath of annoyance when you sit on the toilet.

As you shift through the cabinet you audibly groan. There is only one, rather thin, pad left in the container and your period just started.

Now you have to go ask your husband to take you to the store and hope the one pad you have left doesn't get messed up in the process. Because of the birth control pills you take, your period tends to come at random times-- oh great you're running out of the pills too.

You grumble quietly, "Fuck my life."

An abrupt knock comes at the bathroom door. It shocks you so much that you almost fall off the toilet seat.

"Is something wrong?" Shouto questions from the hallway.

You sigh, "I hate having to ask you this, but can you go to the pharmacy with me? I need some feminine stuff."

"Is it important?"

"Depends. Do you want me to bleed all over your floors?"

Shouto shakes his head even though he knows you can't see him. "No. I'll go put on my clothes. Do you want to drive or walk?"

"Walk."

It will be uncomfortable to stand up after sitting for so long.

"Okay. I will take your clothes out from the closet for you."

Your eyebrows furrow. It's not until now that you realize how weird he's acting. His tone is softer, gentler. Almost as though he's speaking to a kid. It's the most emotion he has ever shown in his voice-besides anger of course. But you brush it off, not bothering to dwell on it.

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

Shouto's footsteps are silent next to you. Eyes focused on the ground and hands stuffed in his pockets. He appears to be lost in his own thoughts.

He had made sure to pick out a long shirt and pants to hide your bruising. Large thick-rimmed glasses are covering your black eye. The scratches on your cheeks can't be hidden much behind your scarf but Shouto plans to just say that you hurt yourself in an accident or something if anyone notices. An excuse can easily be made for those markings. On the other hand, if anyone caught sight of your black eye-or even worse, the burns covering your entire arm-that will definitely cause a scandal.