You're being irrational

Open the door

"Gakushuu..."

The small, six-year-old, boy stirred in his sleep, hugging his pillow close. "Mm..."

A hand shook his shoulder. "Sweetie, wake up, please." His mom's voice was a whisper.

Gakushuu's brow furrowed, yawning as he rubbed his eyes. "Mommy?" His eyes eased open, but there was barely any light; his dad had said he was too old for nightlights now.

The glow from the digital clock showed that it was 3 AM and still too early to be up since it was still dark outside.

"Ssh." His mom shushed him, gripping his shoulders tight as she pulled him into her arms. "Just stay quite okay." Her voice was tiny as she lifted him out of bed, grabbing something off the floor. "Put on your coat, come on."

Gakushuu rubbed his eyes groggily as he sluggishly. "Where are we going?"

"Just a drive, we, um, we're going to go see grandma."

He perked up more at that. "Really?" He liked his grandma; she lived far away in the countryside and she always let him run around in the large garden.

"Yes." His mom's voice sounded strange, putting his shoes on with shaky hands. "But, we... we have to leave now so we'll beat traffic."

Gakushuu smiled, but then frowned. "Is dad coming?" He knew his dad had been really busy lately with the new school.

"...Later." She slipped his backpack on; it seemed heavier than usual. "He's busy working so we'll see him later." She picked him up again, which seemed silly since he could walk. "Now come on. We need to be quiet, okay?"

He frowned, feeling that something wasn't quite right. "...Okay." He noticed his mom was already wearing a coat.

His mom carried him out of the room and into the hallway, the lights all off. Then she slowly closed the bedroom door behind her, a tiny creak from the hinges.

Gakushuu clung onto her, listening to the low thrum of her heart as it beat faster as if she was afraid. "Is dad going to say goodbye—?"

His mom shushed him, walking downstairs slowly. "No, he's busy," she whispered, holding onto him tight.

He shifted in her grip. "But I have to show him my homework." His dad had given him a pile of test sheets yesterday to complete. "And I have a chess competition—"

His mom pinched his arm hard. "Gakushuu, be quiet," his mom hissed, making him wince.

He hunched his shoulders up and rubbed his arm where she had pinched him, but he did as he was told and stayed quiet, wondering why his mom seemed angry. She normally only acted angry or upset when she was arguing with his dad.

The bottom landing was dark and quiet, and he heard his mom shuffle with the keys, and then bend down to pick up a large bag of the floor. Her heartbeat was getting louder as she headed to the door like the thumping was echoing all around the house.

His mom took in a deep breath, shaking so badly she bumped into a table, nearly knocking over a vase. There was another jangle of keys as his mom put the key in the door. A distinct click came next as the door unlocked.

But, the door didn't open when his mom pulled the handle. There was a thud. The door was not budging.

"No, no, no," his mom was whispering, pulling the door harder repeatedly. "Shit," she swore, making Gakushuu frown since she wasn't supposed to swear in front of him. "Fuck." She kept trying to open the door, trembling all over.

Then the light was turned on and he felt his mom freeze.

"What are you doing, Emica?"

Gakushuu looked over his mom's shoulder to see his dad standing in the hallway, dressed for work in his suit despite how early it was; he was also holding a set of small keys with Gakushuu realised quickly were for the top lock on the front door that had been installed last year.

His mom was trembling badly, pressing her body against the door like she wanted to seep through it. "We...um, we..."

"We're going to see grandma," Gakushuu answered for her since his mom was having trouble speaking. "And we have to beat traffic."

His dad raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

His mom held him tighter, pressing his head against her shoulder "Gakuhou..." She took a deep breath. "Open the door."

Gakushuu shifted in her grip, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. "I wanna go back to bed."

His mom shushed him, keeping hold of him tight. "Gakuhou, just... just open the door." Her voice wavered, sounding like she was about to cry, scaring him. "Just open the door!"

"You're being hysterical," his dad replied calmly, walking over to them. "Calm down."

His mom took a deep breath. "...Just open the door, please."

His dad was silent for a moment, moving closer to them. "...Alright," he said quietly, as his mom let out a breath. "If you really want to leave, then fine." He placed his hands on her shoulder, making her tense. "You're not a prisoner here, Emica." He kissed the back of her head while her gaze stayed trained on the floor. "I won't stop you from leaving."

His mom's breathing was shallow like she couldn't breathe properly. "Then open the door."

His dad hummed and gently stroked Gakushuu's hair back. "Give me my son and then you can go."

"What?" His mom jerked back, finally turning around to face him as she held onto Gakushuu too tight. "No!"

His dad's gaze was cold and detached. "Put Gakushuu down and then you can go."

"I'm not leaving him with you!" his mom snapped, making Gakushuu shrink away in her arms. "You're insane—"

"I'm not the one trying to take our son in the middle of the night to who knows where," his dad interrupted firmly. "Without my consent or knowing? If you did take him I'd have every right to call the police," he said lightly while she stayed silent. "You're not well, Emica. You're not thinking straight."

His mom rested a hand on the back of Gakushuu's head. "I'm protecting him from you."

Gakushuu's brow furrowed, not understanding since that didn't make any sense. "Mommy—"

"Ssh." His mom shushed him again. "Baby, not now. Please."

"Do you want to go with your mother, Gakushuu?" his dad's voice was soft and reassuring. "Or stay here with me?"

Gakushuu rubbed his eyes, wanting to go back to bed where it felt safe. "...I wanna stay here."

His mom choked back a sob and held him close still. "Sweetie, you don't understand," she whispered near his ear. "Mommy's just trying to keep you safe—"

"You heard what he wants, Emica," his dad said calmly. "Now, why don't you put him back to bed, and we can talk about this?" His dad placed a hand on his mom's shoulder, making her flinch. "I know things haven't been the best, but I still love you, and I still want us to be a family." He gently kissed her forehead, while she stayed tense. "You haven't been well." He gently wiped away the tears on her cheek with his thumb. "You're being irrational."

Gakushuu's stomach sank as he watched his mom cry. "Don't cry, mommy."

His mom sobbed, her shoulders shaking as she dropped the bag she was carrying. "I-I don't... it's like I can't think." She shook her head. "I feel like I'm going crazy here."

"Ssh." His dad cupped his mom's cheek tenderly, but his gaze still seemed detached. "It's alright, we'll fix this." He pulled her away from the door. "Let's put Gakushuu to bed first."

His mom nodded, wiping her eyes. "...Can you, the bag?"

He kissed her cheek. "Of course, I'll put it in our room."

Gakushuu rested his head on his mom's shoulder, relaxing a little when everything seemed to be alright again, and his parents weren't upset with each other—

Then, without warning, as his dad bent down to pick up the bag, his mom grabbed the vase off the side table and smashed it against his dad's head, knocking the man out cold on the floor.