Every moment away from you, I spend missing you.

"We've arrived at Fukuoka Station."

Shouji opened his eyes, breaking from his meditative state as he stretched out his limbs in the booth. He glanced out the window to see the platform come to view as the train slowed. He stood up, accidentally bumped his head on the overhead rack, and swore under his mask as he rubbed at the sore spot. He was really out of it as all he could think about was his husband's lunch which he unfortunately finished eating an hour ago.

His mother, Mimi, needed help packing up and moving to Tokyo so he'd be away from his husband for a few days. Tokoyami offered to come along but Shouji insisted that it'd be fine with just him. He wished he hadn't said that because he wanted so badly to fall asleep together or watch a movie or just cuddle in the seat.

Coming out into the city he grew up in was a good distraction from those thoughts. The tall buildings and bustling crowds made him feel at home as he could blend in with the masses easily despite his large stature. Most people were too busy with whatever they were doing to care about one other person.

"Mezo!" a voice called.

Shouji noticed two right hands waving to him by a minivan. "Mom, sorry I'm late."

"It's fine," Mimi giggled. "I just got here myself. Did you eat already?"

"Yeah, on the train," Shouji nodded.

Mimi's construction firm merged with a larger company. In order to continue getting more work, she decided to move to Shinjuku. She also didn't need all the room back home since she was living alone so she found a humble apartment to call her own.

Like her son, she didn't own too many material objects aside from necessities. But there wasn't much of a point in hiring a bunch of a movers to carry the larger pieces of furniture when Shouji had the strength of several men. All he had to do was help arrange everything she wanted to take with her into boxes and then carry the heaviest things (couches, tables, television, mattress) into the moving van in the morning.

Shouji suddenly felt better about not having Tokoyami by his side. When they first moved after losing his father, they didn't bother unpacking everything they had since it was hard enough looking at some of their belongings. His first bike, old toddler clothes, stuffed animals, and photo albums filled from back to back with his baby pictures. It was a treasure trove of embarrassments.

"You kept all this?" Shouji remarked.

Mimi nodded as she blew at the layer of dust covering the shelves of cardboard boxes. He couldn't even remember a time when either of them even entered this part of the house. It was just forgotten the moment they moved in. He was sure they had planned on unpacking but never got around to it because his mother was too busy trying to get him to stop hiding inside his room.

"Oh, look at this!" Mimi cooed. "Do you remember this?"

She held up a tiny pair a bright blue footie pajamas with a cute red octopus mascot on the chest. It was custom made by his grandmother to fit his extra limbs. The sleeves had hung loosely around the skin that connected his arms so it wouldn't constrict his movements yet still kept him warm. If only he had more clothes that could accommodate his body shape like that.

"I remember it," Shouji grimaced.

Mimi looked back at the boxes. "Maybe we have a photo of you in it."

"Uh…"

"I'm sure Fumikage would love—!"

Shouji quickly snatched the box labeled 'Memories' out of her hands. "He doesn't need to see it!"

The contents of the box rattled about wildly in his arms and something flew out, falling onto the floor. There was the sound of glass shattering, causing them to panic, wondering if it was important. But they froze upon finding the broken picture frame on the floor. A younger Mimi smiled up at them in her wedding dress and beside her, a man with the same face as Shouji, grinning broadly at the camera.

It was unreasonable to miss someone you only knew for the first few years of your life. They were spent being treated as something other than a human being or even a family member. To Gaburi Kiba, his own flesh and blood, was food.

The pain must've been far worse for Mimi who had fallen in love with Gaburi. She trusted him enough to want to spend the rest of her life with him. To bear his children. To devote her life to him. But without batting an eye, he betrayed her trust by taking their son and ripping off his arms repeatedly in order to satiate his cannibalistic tendencies.

It was easy for Shouji to hate him. But it must've been miserable for Mimi.

Shouji looked up at his mother, seeing tears spilling down her face as she stared at the wedding photo. The memory of his own marriage ceremony was still fresh on his mind. He didn't think it was possible to be happier than that moment. Judging by the smile, one he hadn't seen in a long time, Mimi must've felt the same back then.

"Mom?" Shouji broached softly. "You okay?"

"I should… really throw some things out," Mimi finally sighed, her voice shaking.

Now that Shouji thought about it, he had no idea how his parent even met let alone why they decided to get married. What attracted Mimi to Gaburi and vice-versa? How did they know each other? What did they love about each other? If the emotional connection between them was anywhere near as how hard he fell for Tokoyami, then he had to wonder what went wrong.

Shouji rubbed the back of his neck. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Mimi replied. She was still looking at the photo with a forlorn expression.

"How did you and Gaburi fall in love?" he asked. He didn't want to run the risk of looking at her. There was a book with pressed flowers inside, some Valentine's Day cards, and an engagement ring. This box wasn't about his childhood, it was about his mother's love life. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

The faintest of smiles crossed the woman's lips. "No… if you're curious, I'll tell you."

They put the packing on hold as they moved to the living room. Shouji put a pot to boil on the stove for tea while his mother sat on the couch, mentally preparing herself he assumed. This would be the first time he'd be hearing the story and she was probably going to be reliving memories that had long since been buried. They only resurfaced ten years ago when Gaburi had escaped from prison and attempted to abduct Shouji.

"You still don't have to do this," said Shouji.

"I don't mind," Mimi sighed. "I think it's an important story, anyway."

Shouji patiently waited for his mother to find a place to start as he served their drinks and joined her on the sofa. She seemed to be staring off into the middle distance. But when Shouji followed her line of sight, he could see she was looking at a framed photo sitting on the TV stand. The first picture they took as a family following the initial arrest of Gaburi. He was wearing a mask. And he knew he wasn't smiling.

"It's a terrible photo of me," Shouji chuckled, hoping to break through the tense atmosphere. He traced the rim of his cup with his thumb, changing his hand into a mouth to blow on it. "But a rather nice one of us, I would think."

"It is nice," Mimi nodded, "but there are better ones."

"New home, new photos," Shouji remarked.

His mother brought the green tea to her lips and took a sip. "He was a bartender when we first met," she said. It was almost too quiet to hear. "I went to his bar a lot with my co-workers or friends and he… was honestly quite charming though I know it's hard to believe now."

That was an understatement. Shouji couldn't picture someone like that as even close to charming.

Things between them became romantic one night when Mimi drank too much and needed to be taken home. It was the first time she had gone to the bar alone because all her girlfriends were out on dates. Perhaps part of it was out of loneliness or desperation but she clung to Gaburi after he helped her get back to her house safely. But even though she was infatuated, he was the one to ask her to dinner first.

It was difficult to make their schedules match but they made it work. As time went on, she found herself thinking about him more and more, his face and voice and touch pervading her mind. Eventually, they started cohabiting in a single apartment. It was hard to believe now but they really did spend their days together laughing at the littlest things and craving one another's company. At least, Mimi did.

"What made you guys decide to get married?" asked Shouji. "Did he…?"

Mimi leaned back. "No, he didn't propose. Actually… I became pregnant."

Shouji's eyes widened in shock. "You mean you had a shotgun wedding?!"

The woman laughed nervously, seemingly embarrassed by having her son learn about the circumstances surrounding her marriage. But she looked back down at her drink, her reflection looking back solemnly. "Maybe I should've known then that he wasn't truly in love with me. He was just taking responsibility for what he'd done."

"I don't think that's true," Shouji interjected, "at least, not completely."

"Hm?"

He didn't know why he felt compelled to come to the defense of a criminal, especially one who caused so much pain to him personally. But maybe it was for the sake of his mother who looked ready to break down crying all over again. She'd spilled enough tears over this man. She needn't waste more on him.

"If he didn't love you," said Shouji, "I don't think he would've stayed for so long." He fiddled with his fingers a bit, cracking his knuckles one by one to distract himself from looking up. "Perhaps he even tried to change for you. But then I…"

"Stop," Mimi huffed. "You didn't do anything. You're not at fault."

He noticed a box of tissues was being offered to him as a drop of water landed onto the floor. Warm tears ran down his nose and along the edge of his mask, slowly soaking his cheeks as he tried to wipe them away. He came to the realization that he blamed himself for his parents ending up the way they did. After all, it was because of him that Gaburi's cannibalistic urges became more intense.

Mimi pulled her son towards her body, trying to cradle his massive frame. But the best thing about having more than two arms was the ability to give strong hugs. And it was something Shouji knew he needed as he buried his face in his hair and his mother's shoulder.

For the years that followed Gaburi's arrest, Shouji became quiet and emotionless. No one could ever figure out what he was thinking and wearing a mask didn't help. So it was difficult to make friends when no one knew how he was feeling. That is, until he got into U.A. and found a bunch of aspiring heroes that immediately accepted him unconditionally. And a certain beautiful birdman who allowed him to be vulnerable again.

"We should get back to packing," Shouji muttered, head in his mother's lap.

"Maybe later," she whispered. "For now, tell me about you and Fumikage."

"You want to hear the story of how we met and such?"

"If you're feeling up to it."

"…Sure."

Shouji stayed in his old room, empty, just like it was when he actually lived there. In the morning, he and Mimi carried everything into the moving van before getting into the car. He was going to stay with her at the apartment for one night and help set up the new place. But he spent every free moment thinking of going home and sleeping in the same bed as his husband.

After hearing the story about how his parents got together, he wanted to make sure Tokoyami knew he was always loved. The birdman suffered from abandonment issues even worse than him. He was even going to be meeting his biological mother soon so Shouji knew he had to be there to support him. But he needed support too. It felt strange to admit that to himself.

"I'm home."

Tokoyami was lying on the couch, a few steps away from the entrance, reading a novel. "Welcome back," he smiled.

He asked about how things went over the last few days and mentioned that he hadn't started on dinner because he wasn't expecting his spouse back so soon. But Shouji wasn't listening as he kicked off his shoes and ambled across the hall. He practically crashed onto the couch, his head landing on Tokoyami's stomach who let out a grunt in response.

"Tired," Shouji mumbled. "Just wanna sleep."

Tokoyami chuckled lightly as he ran his fingers through Shouji's hair. Dark Shadow made an appearance and curled up in a ball on the man's back. "Must've been a tough few days for you, huh," Tokoyami said quietly. "Rest all you want, love."

"Am I too heavy?"

"It's not uncomfortable."

Outside the house, Shouji had worried about a myriad of things. He wanted to make sure that neither of them would end up leaving one another. He didn't want their love to fade like it did for his parents. But while lying on top of Tokoyami, neither saying a word, gently being lulled to sleep to the sound of his breathing—he was content.

His concerns felt silly now. Shouji wasn't like his parents and Tokoyami wasn't like his own biological parents. They wouldn't end up making the same mistakes. Although those mistakes all related to having kids. Shouji couldn't help smiling behind his mask as he drifted into dreamland, thinking about raising a family of his own with his beloved.

"Is that," Tokoyami muttered, "a brochure for an adoption agency?"

One of Shouji's arms reached over to his back pocket, pulling out the piece of paper in question, and folded it into tight wad before flicking it off into the wastebasket. "What brochure?" he asked sleepily. "I want to go to bed."

Tokoyami chuckled, shaking his head. "Dark Shadow, little help?"

"Aye aye!" the Quirk saluted before lifting up Shouji. "Come on, big guy, to bed."

"We're going to have kids someday, right?" Shouji murmured.

"Someday," Tokoyami replied. "And we'll be just fine."