The Two Sides of Survival

2

Hitoshi walked home in silence. He didn’t even care to play music through his headphones. He walked through the city stuck inside his own thoughts. What else was he supposed to do? Both of his parents were gone. He had no way to feed Eri or himself. And depending on how long his parents will be gone, he might need to pay bills. He had no money, and no job. All he had was a few bucks he saved from chores and mowing lawns, but it wasn’t enough to take care of himself AND a 10-year-old girl. Speaking of which, how was he going to tell her? She was heartbroken when Shouta didn’t come back from work. She thought he didn’t love her anymore. She thought he left her by choice.

He turned the corner and saw “Now Hiring!” sign in the window of a coffee shop. With a shot. He walked in and looked around. It didn’t look like the shop was a part of a large chain of shops. It looked more like a small business. He walked up to the counter. It didn’t look like anyone was working, in fact, the entire shop was person free. The tables were spotless, the paintings on the wall were perfect, and there wasn’t a speck of dust in sight. The only sign of life was a lazy cat sleeping in the light of the window. Hitoshi went up to the cat and gave it head scratches.

“Hello?” A voice says. He looks over and there’s a girl in an apron standing in the doorway to the back. He stands up and looks at her. “OOO! A customer! Welcome!” She exclaimed. She looked really, really excited.

“Hi, uh, I saw that you guys are hiring.” Hitoshi replied, very awkwardly. “I was wondering if I could apply.” The girl ran to the back, then returned with an application. She hands it to him.

“Here ya go! I’d say you have a pretty good chance at getting a job! Currently, I’m the only one working here, besides the owners of course!” She was really happy! She looked even happier than a child on Christmas. “What’s your name?” She asked.

“Hitoshi Shinso.” She gasped. He looked at her confused.

“Do you happen to be related to Nemuru Shinso?” She asked. He was. That was his moms name before she was forced to leave. Long story.

“Ya. She’s my mom, actually. I haven’t seen her in years.” He told her. “How do you know her?”

“She’s the owner! I bet she would hire you in a heartbeat! She’s really nice!” He nodded and looked at the application. It doesn’t pay well, but it would be enough for now. He looked up and, at the sweets counter, he saw a bunch of candy apples.

“Is it alright if I get one of those? My sister loves them.” Hitoshi asked. He knew that Eri would be upset at the news, so he thought he should get her a treat.

“Sure thing!” She steps behind the counter and rings him up. “That will be 1,500 yen!” She says cheerfully. He hands her the cash, and she hands him the apple. “Have a nice day! I’ll see you later!”

“Thank you, you too.” He gives the kitty one last head scratch, then leaves. He looks at the time and heads to the train station. He had a few hours before he had to pick up Eri, so he had time to go home and clean up a bit. He also had time to possibly write a letter to Eri’s teacher explaining the situation.

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The moment the door closed, Shouta attempted to kick the unconscious Hizashi next to him to get him to wake.

“Present Mic! Can you hear me?” He tried to remain professional and not use his real name. He looked around the room again now that he can see. As expected, he's laid on a tile floor, and there’s only one door. The room was bigger than expected, but it wasn’t huge. It was very echoey. He heard a shuffling beside him.

“Mic? Is that you?” He asked. The only response he got was more shuffling. “Mic, if that’s you, say something or tap twice.”

Nothing.

He looked over at Hizashi and the shuffling was indeed him. He tried to shuffle closer to him, ignoring the pain in his arms. The closer he got, the more he could see of him.

“Mic, you’ve got to talk to me.” He said again. After a few minutes of laying there, Hizashi finally looked at him. He seemed to relax almost instantly. Shouta looked at him, searching for any injuries. His arms were tied fairly loosely in front of him, and something was stuffed inside his mouth as a gag. He also noticed that Hizashis hearing aids were missing. Hizashi wasn't completely deaf, but he was pretty dang close. Without his hearing aids, the only thing he could hear was himself. Shouta had to come up with a way to communicate with him. He couldn’t use sign language, and he couldn’t write. He could try to use Morse code, but he wasn’t sure if Zashi knew it. So he went for the next best option. He shuffled his way to Hizashi until his head was touching his shoulder. He made sure his lips were right next to Hizashis ear.

“Can you hear me?” He asked. He had his fingers crossed that he could. Hizashi nodded. He could hear him. Shouta was relieved. Now they need a way to communicate. Before he could say anything else, he felt a hard kick to his shin.

“Ow! What was that for!” He yelled. There are thumps coming from above them. Someone heard him, and they were on their way down. The door opened and Shouta looked up. It was the man with pink hair.

“The hell is going on down here!?” He yelled. His gaze instantly went to Shouta. “You moved from your spot, Erasure. Were you trying to talk to your little friend? How’s that working out for you?” He smirked. Shouta looked at him and remained silent.

“Would you like some help?” He said as he held up Hizashis hearing aids. “If you tell me what I want, I will let you talk. If I find out you gave me false information, there will be serious consequences. Deal?” It couldn’t be that easy. He looked at the man, and then at Hizashi.

“If you leave Present Mic out of whatever this is.” He says. If he can keep the love of his life from getting hurt, or worse, it would all be worth it. “That is my only request.”

The man thought for a while. “Fine. If you give me the information I need, I will let you talk to your friend and won’t hurt him. If you tell me fake information, I will hurt you, and him, all I want. Deal?” He decided. That complicates things a bit.

On one hand, he can’t let his husband get hurt on his behalf, but on the other, he couldn’t risk a villain attack. He had to make a choice, and fast. He couldn’t change the deal anymore, or else the man will know something’s up. He has only one option.

“Deal.” He said. The man gave Hizashi back his hearing aids, so he could listen in.

“ This is what’s going to happen. I will ask Erasure some questions. If he tells me the truth, that will be a minute added to your talking time. If he refuses information, he will get his ass beat. If he lies to me, Mic gets his ass beat. Understand?” The two heroes nodded in response. “Good. Let's get started.”