In the bedroom, it was a little less destroyed. The wall mirror lied shattered on the ground, the bed looked like it had been torn apart by a chainsaw, and the closet doors had been chopped open. However, most of the clothes within the closet had survived and the dresser had been left untouched.
"It looks like this was the last place they went," Hiroki said, stooping down to pick up a shred of one of Nowaki's t-shirts. Nowaki sat in the middle of the room, the stuffed cat toy held tightly in his lap as he swiveled his head to observe the slightly-less destroyed bedroom.
"You're right. The sun must have been just rising when they were in here," Nowaki agreed. Hiroki looked over his shoulder with a smile.
"That's a relief. If they didn't get to the closet, then do you know what that means?" Hiroki asked, going to the closet and prying the destroyed doors open. Nowaki blinked.
"Uh… Aikawa's maternity clothes are all intact?" he guessed.
"No," Hiroki said. Then, he considered it for a few seconds. "Well, yeah. But something else survived."
"What is it?"
Hiroki dug around in the closet before finally finding his grey suit. He reached into the jacket pocket and pulled out a tiny piece of jewelry.
"Look, Nowaki," Hiroki said softly, turning around. He held up the untouched diamond baby bracelet that had been safely stored away in the depths of the closet.
"The baby bracelet…" Nowaki breathed. His eyes softened and a smile cracked open his grim face. "Oh, Hiro-san. I'm so glad."
Hiroki walked back to Nowaki and handed him the baby bracelet. He slid it onto two of his fingers.
"I think the ultrasound pictures are safe, too," Hiroki murmured absentmindedly. He went to the dresser and rummaged through the drawers. He managed to dig out a manila envelope.
"And the ultrasound pictures!" Nowaki exclaimed. Hiroki laughed happily, hugging the pictures to his chest. He turned towards Nowaki.
"I think, with these three things, we can pick up the pieces," Hiroki said, taking a step closer to his fiancé.
"Let's find a house. We needed more space to raise our baby, anyway," Nowaki said, looking up from the baby bracelet.
"And a car, so we can drive our baby places," Hiroki added, his smile widening as he took another few steps forward.
"And we'll rebuild the nursery ten times better!"
"A hundred times better!"
"A thousand times better!"
"Fuck it; let's just build a mansion made entirely of nurseries!" Hiroki shouted, laughing. By then, he was standing before Nowaki, bent over him and staring at him excitedly. Nowaki's wide grin turned into a gentle smile, his eyelids lowering.
"God I love you, Hiro-san," Nowaki said softly. He reached up to hook his hand on Hiroki's neck and bring him in for a kiss. Hiroki's hold on the manila envelope against his chest tightened as his eyelids fluttered shut. They kissed for a few moments, simply enjoying being with each other.
Somehow, the destruction of their home wasn't so heartbreaking anymore.
"Hiroki? Kusama?" a voice suddenly called. Hiroki and Nowaki jumped, looking towards the door. There was a crash and a shout, followed by the tinkling of broken glass. A second later, Akihiko skidded into the doorway of the bedroom, his hair in disarray.
"Akihiko?" Hiroki asked, blinking as he straightened. Akihiko's violet eyes darted frantically around the room.
"Jesus fucking Christ, Hiroki. I knew there was an axe raid, but I didn't know it was this bad," Akihiko said, running a hand through his silver hair. Hiroki raised an eyebrow.
"You knew?"
"Are you kidding me? It's all over the news," Akihiko said. "Misaki woke me up at seven in the morning to come check out the news. I saw it was your apartment and I just about pissed my pants. God damn…"
Hiroki's lips parted as he saw Akihiko cover his mouth with his hand and use the doorframe as support. His eyes were wide and he panted slightly.
"You idiot, didn't you wait until the news announced that there were no casualties?" Hiroki asked wryly, narrowing his eyes. Akihiko threw his hands into the air.
"As if I could wait! I was so worried; I thought I was going to have to pull my car over to throw up!"
"You were that concerned?" Hiroki asked softly. Akihiko gulped and glanced at him with grim eyes.
"Yes, I was. Got a problem with that?" he asked. Hiroki blinked, then smiled.
"No. Don't worry, Akihiko. We're fine. Nowaki got nicked in the leg with a bullet, but it was a very minor injury and he'll be up and walking soon," Hiroki explained. Akihiko sighed in relief.
"Well, that's good. Now, enough chat. Pack up anything you need and bring it outside to my car."
Hiroki and Nowaki both furrowed their eyebrows.
"What?" Hiroki asked. Akihiko looked at him incredulously.
"What, were you going to live in here before you found a new place to live? Don't be an idiot. Come live at my place for a while, at least until you find somewhere else to go. I'm not going to let my pregnant friend live in these conditions with an immobile lover."
Nowaki's lip twitched.
"Actually, we're engaged," he announced, his tone slightly sharp.
Akihiko raised a silver eyebrow.
"Oh. Congratulations. Now get packin'."
"This is really kind of you, Akihiko, but won't we be… you know, imposing on you and Misaki?" Hiroki asked from the backseat as Akihiko sped down the street in his sports car.
"What? Nah, if anything, it'll be a help. Tomi-chan really likes you, so you can look after her while I'm working and Misaki's at school, and we won't have to bother Aikawa anymore," Akihiko said. Nowaki, who sat beside Hiroki in the back seat, spoke up.
"Hiro-san is very close to his due date. Is your home close to the hospital?" he asked.
"Mmm… not really, but if we need to, we can rush him down in my car. I mean, that'd be better than walking or calling a taxi, right?"
Hiroki saw Nowaki bristle out of the corner of his eye. With a gentle hand, he reached out and put it soothingly on Nowaki's knee.
"There's nothing else we can do, Nowaki. Relax a little," Hiroki murmured, just loud enough for Nowaki to hear. Nowaki sighed and shifted uncomfortably, but put his hand over Hiroki's on his knee regardless.
When they got to Akihiko's condominium, Akihiko hauled Nowaki's collapsible wheelchair out of his trunk and unfolded it. Nowaki hopped over to it on one foot and Hiroki helped him ease down into it. Akihiko grabbed the luggage bag Hiroki and Nowaki had filled with their few remaining belongings and hauled it out of his car.
They took the elevator up to the top floor, where Akihiko led them down a short hall to a door. He pressed a buzzer. There was a short pause, and the door unlocked with a clack.
"Misaki, I brought home a couple pets, can I keep them?" Akihiko called the moment he walked in through the door. Hiroki rolled his eyes as he wheeled Nowaki in behind his idiot friend.
"Usagi-san, if it's that dumb stray from the park again, I'll-" the voice of Misaki began. He walked into view a second later, Hitomi in his arms as she slumped over her adopted mother's shoulder. "Oh! Nowaki, Kamijou-san! Hello!"
"Hi, Misaki-kun," Nowaki greeted in a friendly voice.
"We saw what happened to your apartment this morning. I'm so sorry that happened to you two," Misaki said solemnly, bouncing Hitomi slightly and patting her back. The toddler let out a little burp and shifted, earning a coo of praise from her mother.
"We're fine. Nowaki will be up on his feet soon," Hiroki said, smiling slightly. "The main issue right now is that we're just incredibly exhausted."
"Well, you can relax here," Akihiko said as he slipped out of his coat and hung it up on a nearby coat hook. "I assure you, you will be safe. We're on the top floor in a very busy, protected part of the city. No raiders will be coming to my door any time soon."
"Yes. Please, make yourselves at home. Would you two like anything? I could make you some lunch, or maybe you'd like a bath?" Misaki offered. Hiroki sighed, briefly shutting his eyes.
"Thank you. Thank you so much for everything. I haven't felt this relaxed in weeks. As much as I'd love something to eat, right now I think the only thing me and Nowaki need is sleep. It's been a very, very long, strenuous night," Hiroki said. Misaki smiled at him understandingly.
"That's alright. Come with me, we've got an open guest room that -surprisingly- isn't full of Usagi-san's crap," Misaki said, walking up to Akihiko and handing Hitomi to him. Akihiko chuckled as he lumbered off into the kitchen with a sleepy Hitomi in his arms. Misaki led Hiroki and Nowaki towards a door under the staircase. He opened it and gestured for them to enter.
Inside the room was a simple double bed with white sheets, and a large window that was sheathed with translucent curtains. There was a bedside table on either side of the bed, and on the opposite side of the room was a medium-sized television on a wooden stand. In the corner of the room, a grandfather clock quietly tick-tocked.
"Is this room alright?" Misaki asked. Hiroki rolled Nowaki across the white carpeted floor.
"It's perfect. Thank you, Takahashi-kun," Hiroki murmured, feeling all of the tension leave his body as an air of peacefulness washed over him and Nowaki.
"Please call me if you need anything. I'll tell Usagi-san to keep it down for you," Misaki said softly. With that, he left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.
"Help me quickly, Hiro-san. I'll fall asleep right in this wheelchair if I don't get to a bed soon," Nowaki said. Hiroki chuckled lightly and helped Nowaki to his feet. Nowaki hopped to the bed and flopped down onto his side. He pulled himself up to the pillow.
"At least take your shoes off, idiot," Hiroki sighed. Nowaki snuggled into his pillow, wriggling his feet as Hiroki eased his shoes off. He set them down at the foot of the bed, then slipped out of his own shoes.
"Sorry, Hiro-san. It just feels nice to be able to sleep without worrying about raiders," Nowaki murmured, yawning and rolling onto his back on the bed.
"Mm," Hiroki agreed. He went to their luggage bag and unzipped it, rummaging around for something.
"What are you getting, Hiro-san?"
Hiroki turned around, hugging the stuffed cat toy to his chest. He blushed shyly.
"I don't think I can sleep without it," Hiroki said softly. Nowaki raised his head and propped it up with his elbow, watching Hiroki with a concerned cobalt gaze. Hiroki stroked the fur, absentmindedly fiddling with one of the plush ears. He felt his chin begin to tremble.
"Hiro-san," Nowaki whispered soothingly. "Our new nursery will be a thousand times better, remember?"
Hiroki looked up and smiled waveringly, pulling himself together before he fell apart again.
"Yeah…" he said. He padded to the bed and slipped into it, facing Nowaki and hugging the stuffed animal. "But that nursery was just so beautiful. I only had it for like a week and a half, and the baby didn't even get to see it."
"I know, love," Nowaki said softly, reaching out and stroking Hiroki's brunette locks out of his face. Hiroki shuffled closer to Nowaki and flipped onto his opposite side. Nowaki immediately took the hint and pressed up against his little fiancé, spooning him. He draped his arm over Hiroki's waist, splaying his fingers over the baby bump. The baby shifted, seemingly moving to get into a more comfortable position so it could settle down with its papa and daddy.
They drifted to sleep within moments, not caring that they were still fully dressed, on top of the covers, and in the bright light of the afternoon sun.
