After High School

Chapter 29

Few Weeks Time Skip: Noya's POV

I woke up to crying, Asahi did too. I got up to go get it. I knew exactly who it was..

"Oh baby, I'm here." I said, walking into Aku's room and picking him up. He cried and sniffled while hanging onto me. I sat down on his bed, cuddling him with a soft and tired sigh. Aku's legs never did regain their normal motor ability. And he's been developing a lot of pains he needs medicine for and even his hearing is deteriorating.

I was furious. He was perfectly healthy until his own father did this to him. I think I really did go through a few days where I was plotting a murder.. but Asahi managed to stop me. He convinced me that staying home with my babies was more important, and he was right.

"What time is it.... okay.. c'mon you can take some of your pain medicine." I mumbled, mostly to myself as I stood up with Aku. He clung onto me as I took him to the kitchen and got him some water and the medication his doctor prescribed to help his muscles relax from the sudden and painful spasms they'd get. 

After Aku took the medicine, I took him back to his room and cuddled him till he fell asleep. Once he was passed out, I managed to pry him off of me and back into his bed. Asahi walked over as I tucked our youngest back in. I was tired, every night multiple times a night, Aku would wake up crying from pain.

And sometimes I couldn't do anything about it. I can't just give him medicine constantly. Asahi gently picked me up and carried me back to our room. He held me tight as we laid in our bed, and I started to cry myself.

"Noya..."

"A-Asahi.. I just.. I feel like this is all my fault."

"None of this is your fault Noya.. You couldn't have known that Aku's father would do such a thing. Or even be aware of Aku."

"But now... Now our youngest baby is going to live a miserable life.. and I had already made his life so miserable for him since he was a baby..!"

"But you're changing that. You've been taking good care of him, and Aku loving you hasn't changed."

"...His hearing is going, Asahi.. He'll never get to hear me say I love him by next year.." 

"...then you're going to have to sign it to him." Asahi said, pulling me closer. There was no fixing Aku's hearing. So we are having him start to learn sign language and reading and writing as quickly as we can. And it stressed him. He could only do so much. And I knew that he could recognize his hearing is getting worse, and it must be scary.

Finally, my own crying settled and Asahi kissed and cuddled me until I fell asleep in his arms.

Asahi's POV

I couldn't blame Noya for being so distressed. He was hardly sleeping since he had to take care of Aku when he'd cry in the nights. And he would have to take care of Katsumi and Takeo during the day. I wish I could help more, but I still had to work. 

Aku must be in distress too. It'd be scary to feel your hearing going. I know that I would be scared.. And Noya and I both knew that he was scared because of his motor functioning. He used to be able to do anything any other normal, healthy kid could do.

But now he had trouble just walking. Or if he did walk, he'd say his legs hurt and there were times he'd fall from a muscle giving out. It hurt to see this all happen. But there was nothing we could do but try to live around it and through it. 

I glanced down at Noya, kissing each of his ears gently with a small smile. I love him, more than I could even express. And all I wanted was for him to be happy. Of course the thing that would make him happy, I wouldn't do.

As much as I agreed with him. Aku's father did nothing legally wrong. We couldn't sue him. We couldn't hurt him. We couldn't do anything without potentially getting ourselves arrested. And we couldn't leave our children alone. Besides, what type of example would it be if our kids saw us trying to do such things.

Maybe it was time we have a change. I had some friends who were asking for roommates. They know how large my little family is now, but they said they would happily accept us all. Of course as long as I kept up my share of the rent. Which I would.

And I knew both of them very well. They, well, at least one of them, would offer and help Noya with our kids. Even if Noya said he could do it himself. It's not like I'm thinking of making my friends help us, of course not. But I saw the home they wanted to get and share with us. It would give us all some more space.

And it would be further away from where Aku's father is. It could be safer with an extra two adults in the house. I reached over Noya and texted them to see if they were still okay with it. I'm glad they were both awake and responded with a yes. I would need to talk to Noya about this once he wakes up.