There was something weird, Ritsu thought, about being in someone's house when they weren't home.

Maybe it was because he was technically breaking and entering…or just entering. The door hadn't been locked. Sure. It had a lock but the lock hadn't been locked so…so this was alright? Sho had said that it was alright, that it was important that they found syrup even though syrup kind of sucked, and that it was important that Ritsu found the syrup.

He'd tried his best.

This kitchen was worse than Reigen's. The rice was next to the chocolate chips which were on top of the fridge which was full of whipped cream and fruit for some reason and a half eaten waffle under plastic wrap…which had probably come from one of the many waffle makers in the cabinet with the canned bread…which they made. He held the can in his hand and shook it. He hadn't heard anything, which made sense, since bread wasn't really known for being nosy…but then again this was Claw and anything made sense in Claw.

Nonsense.

He put the can down and closed all the cabinets with his powers. The slamming sound echoed through the empty apartment. He nearly expected Mom or Dad to yell at him for being too loud, even though them yelling just added to the loudness, but all he heard was the sound of silence. That was all he was going to hear until Sho came back. This wasn't his apartment and Mom and Dad weren't here. They were home in their house probably…he didn't even know. Having breakfast? Sleeping in? Going to work?

Building another shrine?

The cabinets opened and shut, this time even louder than before. He heard something fall to the ground….oh, the canned bread. He put it back. This wasn't his house, this was someone named Shibata's apartment, one of Sho's friends…someone who probably wouldn't appreciate Ritsu just coming in and breaking things….though it felt like Ritsu maybe shouldn't have even cared about this. That would have made more sense, really, because this Shibata guy was a Claw member and therefore an enemy…well he would have been before everything had happened….before the whole world turned upside down…

Before everything got weird.

But there was no use thinking about it, he reminded himself, since it had happened and it was over. It was like Reigen had said, something about not wasting today wishing that it was yesterday. Reigen always knew what to say even if Ritsu suspected that most of it came from fortune cookies…he wondered what Reigen would have had to say if he could have seen Ritsu right now. Probably something about breaking and entering being a crime even if the door had been unlocked, about how he should have been at home, about how Mom and Dad must have been worried sick, about how everyone made mistakes and Mom and Dad had just been doing what they had thought was best even if it meant lying to Ritsu for his entire life and throwing Shigeko out like she was trash just because she had been born with powers, the same ones that Ritsu was born with, the same ones that-

-another slamming sound.

The door. Not the cabinets this time…not him. It took a second before his aura noticed Sho's. Maybe because he was so used to Sho now…which should have been a good thing. He should have been happy. He was with the guy he loved, he didn't have to hide it anymore, and he didn't have to worry about Claw or being kidnapped and tortured and brainwashed anymore…because he had willingly joined…well not joined but…but…

He decided not to think about this anymore.

Sho was stomping across the floor, his aura was flaring out in all directions, and it sounded like he was muttering to himself. Ritsu knew when he was needed…and he was ok with that. Even though he was kind of the one who was…no, no, this was how relationships worked. He knew what he was doing, he had been in a fake relationship with Teru for years after all. He had to be there for Sho even though he wasn't sure if he was even capable of being any good at it considering the fact that his life was a lie, his parents were liars, and his sister was not only alive but the leader of Claw-

-maybe it was best to focus on Sho's problems for now.

"Sho?" asked Ritsu. Sho just shook his head and crossed the kitchen. He opened the fridge with his powers and stuck his head in. Ritsu watched him. His aura was still flaring. He could still hear Sho muttering to himself. He reached out to maybe….he didn't know. Ritsu had never been good at this sort of thing.

"…of course Shibata doesn't have anything." Muttered Sho as he pulled back and slammed the fridge shut. Ritsu pulled his hand back and kept them at his sides. Sho was upset. This could have been about anything….anything to do with Claw. Ritsu wasn't going to pretend that everything was just going to be…he didn't even know. Not that it had ever been normal, this was an evil organization that had been out to take over the world after all, but normal was the only word he could think of. Normal for other people, of course, not for them…of course things would go wrong….

He nearly put up a barrier.

"What's with you?" asked Sho quietly. Ritsu shook his head.

"Forget about me, what's with you?" asked Ritsu

"You're the one putting up a barrier like you're afraid or something…I mean it's not like you have anything to be afraid of. Nobody's going to fuck with you, I won't let them." said Sho

"I'm not worried about that, I'm worried about you. Something's wrong. What happened? Another uprising? A mutiny? Did something happen to your-my-OUR sister?" asked Ritsu. Sho just shook his head again. His aura was still there, bright reddish orange, and his eyes still looked…Ritsu looked away. He had never seen Sho like that before, he never wanted to see Sho like that again.

"Stop worrying about me. Those guys are…well I don't know what they're doing, probably messing around or…or something and Big Sis…I don't know, I don't want to talk about her. I don't want to talk about my family. I just…I just want to be happy! Is that so much to ask?!" shouted Sho

"Maybe not." Said Ritsu before he could think it through. He knew, as soon as he opened his mouth, what he should have said. He should have told Sho that of course he got to be happy. If this were a movie then this would have been his, no, it would have been their happy ending. The bad guy had been defeated, the world was saved, Shigeko was still alive, and now they got to be together like they had always wanted. But this wasn't a movie. This was real life full of people who lied to you and pretended to love you and-and-and-

-and there wasn't a lot to be happy about, really, when you thought about it.

"This is the part where you're supposed to make me feel better." said Sho, his eyes narrowing. Ritsu narrowed his right back.

"I'm trying. It's not easy, you know, not after everything that happened to me." said Ritsu. Maybe he should have been the one that Sho should have been comforting…though Sho had been there for him since the minute he walked into the base. So maybe it was time that they switched…but he didn't want to switch. He didn't know how he was supposed to be there for Sho. Not after he'd lost everything and Sho…well Sho had gained so much. This base, Shigeko, his Dad was in prison…if anything this had all been a good thing for him.

"Well shit happened to me too, alright? Shit happened and…and Big Sis is gone and Fukuda's an asshole and a liar and-and-and-and someone has to be there for me, alright?!" said Sho

"I'm right here and I'm trying my best. This hasn't been great for me either. You know what happened. My parents-" said Ritsu

"Lied to you about Big Sis being dead, yeah, but she isn't so why are you still so upset about it? She's alive and she's nice and she actually wants to meet you and hang out with you and probably watch Frozen and drink milk with you, too." Said Sho

"…no she doesn't. If she wanted to know me then she would have stayed…but she didn't. She just left. She ran away." Said Ritsu. He felt an aura…Sho's aura. He felt it slamming against his. He put up a barrier. It cracked but didn't break…had Sho been trying to break it? Ritsu kept it up. This was…he was in the middle of Claw after all and Sho…Sho was…

He and Sho hadn't really spent that much time together before this, had they?

"Don't say that! Don't ever accuse Big Sis of running away! She's not like that!" said Sho

"Don't try and attack me, then. Don't be like that." Said Ritsu. Sho's eyes went wide and he took a step back. His aura turned inwards and formed a barrier of it's own. Ritsu didn't know if that was to keep Sho safe or to keep Ritsu safe from Sho…and he didn't know why that thought had even entered his mind. Sho was his boyfriend, they loved each other, and…and they hadn't spent much time together and maybe he didn't know Sho as well as he knew some other people but he knew that Sho wasn't a threat.

Right?

"I-I'm not trying to attack you. I just…sometimes when I get upset I just…do that…and I'm sorry. I would never hurt you. I'm not my Dad, I don't hurt people just because I'm pissed off…and anyway, you're not people." Said Sho

"I'm not…what?" asked Ritsu, turning his head to the side. Sho shook his head and held up his hands.

"Sorry! Sorry, that came out wrong. I meant that you're not a regular person…I mean you're not, you're an esper…but you're not like…you're you, ok? You're Ritsu and I love you and I wouldn't treat you the same way I would treat anyone else." Said Sho. Ritsu took a deep breath and dropped his barrier…tried to. He had to force it to go down. Sometimes his powers didn't always listen. He wondered if that ran in the family. Sho seemed to be able to get his down easily enough.

"I'd treat you better, you know? Because you deserve better. I'd…I don't know. If it wasn't weird I'd build you a Ritsu habitat." Said Sho

"A Ritsu what?" asked Ritsu

"A habitat, like for hamsters, but for you. You'd have plastic walls so you could look out and see everything and plastic tunnels to crawl in because those look fun but your bed would be a real bed, not hay, and you'd have a real TV not the toy one that the hamsters have and you'd have a real pool and real speakers…wait, no, because you don't like music…but you could listen to podcasts or something and you'd have all the books you could read and I'd feed you real food, too, not hamster pellets and vegetables. Actually I'd never feed you vegetables because they suck." Said Sho. Ritsu looked down, he could feel himself getting warmer. That was the weirdest thing he had ever heard in his life…and also, somehow, the most romantic. It was like Sho had jabbed him in the heart.

But in a good way.

"I don't really mind vegetables all that much." Said Ritsu quietly

"Then I'd make them for you…but I won't actually do that because making you a habitat would be weird because you're a person and not a pet. I mean I have the money to build one for you, I think I mean I've never counted it all, but I know that I can trust you never to run away or leave me. Ever. Because we'll always be together. Because you would never betray me or lie to me. Because you love me." said Sho

"Um…yeah?" Said Ritsu. Of course he would never betray Sho…but he didn't really like the way that Sho was saying all of that. He was starting at Ritsu almost like he was challenging him to…he didn't know. Run away? Betray him? Whatever else was happening behind his eyes?

"Because I can trust you…you're the only person I have left. You and Big Sis…but Big Sis is being kind of weird right now…and I guess maybe Mukai, too, but she's just a little kid and…and that's enough people. I don't know why I thought that I could trust Fukuda or…or why I even care." Said Sho. Now it was Ritsu's turn to narrow his eyes.

"Fukuda did something to you?" asked Ritsu. He knew it. He knew that they couldn't trust Claw.

"Yeah, I mean no, I mean he…he…it's so weird!" said Sho

"Do you want me to beat him up? Because I can." Said Ritsu. He knew what Reigen would have said if he'd been there. He would have told Ritsu that being weird wasn't a good reason to beat someone up, that fighting was stupid, and that he needed to go home and stop worrying his parents…but Reigen wasn't there and Ritsu could do whatever he wanted and what he wanted was to hurt the person who had hurt Sho.

"I don't know…maybe? I mean it's not like it would do anything, he heals pretty fast, and…and…and I don't know! I mean it's like…like when I was little he used to take care of me and he was always there and…and I guess we were kind of like a family but…but that doesn't mean that he gets to be in love with my mom!" shouted Sho. Ritsu blinked.

"He's…in love with your mom…and that's why you want to beat him up?" asked Ritsu

"Yeah. He's in love with her and he…he found her and he kept on saying that we could all be a family together and-and-and it's really fucking gross!" said Sho. Ritsu nodded.

"Yeah. It is." Said Ritsu. He didn't know Fukuda, or Sho's mom, but he did know his own mom and he knew Reigen, who had also been there for him since he was a little kid. If Reigen had been in love with Mom and tried to…to run away with her? Run away with her and Ritsu to be a family…the thought made Ritsu want to throw up.

That wasn't right at all.

"See? You get it. Fukuda…when I was a kid I used to wish he was my Dad but then he kind of turned into an asshole, especially to Big Sis, and…and I thought that it was just because he was getting old and old people are assholes-" said Sho

"Not all of them." said Ritsu. Grandma wasn't an asshole and she was the oldest person he knew…and she was probably worried about him too…unless she knew what Mom and Dad had done…but no, not grandma….

Right, no, he was worried about Sho here.

"Fine, I guess not all of them, but a lot of people turn into grumpy assholes when they get old and Fukuda's the oldest person I know. He's ten days older than Dad…but that's not important. I mean it is but it's not. What's important is that he's been in love with my mom for-for years! And he knows where she is and he wants…I don't know. Maybe she ran away because he wanted her to cheat on Dad or something…I don't know." said Sho

"That seems like a dumb reason to run away. You're Dad's a super villain." Said Ritsu. Sho's eyes went wide.

"So…you think that cheating is ok?" asked Sho

"I mean if the person you're cheating on is crazy and wants to take over the world…." Said Ritsu. That had been, apparently, the wrong thing to say. Sho's eyes went wider. He gasped. He took a step back…and then another…and then another until his back was against the wall.

"Who…who are you?" asked Sho. Ritsu rolled his eyes.

"Stop being so dramatic. I'm not going to cheat on you, obviously." Said Ritsu

"But you just said-" said Sho

"Are you trying to take over the world?" asked Ritsu. Sho seemed to consider this, at least that was what Ritsu hoped was going on in that insane head of his.

"We should talk about this more. Cheating is always wrong even if the person you're cheating on is my Dad…I mean I hate my Dad but you can't just-just love someone one day and then not love them the next! And then they wake up, I mean and then you wake up, and then they're not there and you spend the rest of your life wondering what you did to make them stop loving you….it's sad." Said Sho. Ritsu took a step closer. Sho was being ridiculous. Of course Ritsu wouldn't stay with him if he went crazy and tried to take over the world. Love had limits. Everything had limits.

"Stop being weird." Said Ritsu

"You stop being weird! You're just…you would leave me? You would cheat on me and leave me and-and-and- I don't know if I can go through that again, ok!?" asked Sho

"Don't give me a reason to leave, then. I don't think I'll ever cheat on you but if you try and take over the world I'm out of here." Said Ritsu. That, also, probably wasn't the right thing to say. Sho was shaking now. He was shaking in place, his body was, and his aura decided to follow his body's lead….the whole thing looked exhausting. Maybe as exhausting as it was to witness.

"Ritsu…Ritsu please…" said Sho

"And anyway we were talking about your mom and this Fukuda guy. Maybe instead of sitting here worrying about what might or might not have happened you go and talk to her. I mean at least tell her off for leaving you. I wouldn't let anyone treat me like that, not even my own mom, and I love…loved…love my mom." Said Ritsu. That, for once, seemed like the right thing to say. Sho calmed down, which was good, because Ritsu could feel himself shaking now. No way was he sorry, no way was he sad, no way did he want to go home…no way could he even go home.

They didn't want him anymore, anyway.

"So go and get your mom's address and then-and then tell her off or whatever." Said Ritsu

"That's…if you think it's a good idea then…then I'll….I'll do it." Said Sho. Ritsu didn't know if it was a good idea or not, he didn't know if it would make things better or worse, but he did know that he didn't want to think about his own parents. So this would be a good distraction. Maybe if he kept on distracting himself then he would eventually even forget that he had parents.

Like they were probably going to forget about him.

Unless they told everyone that he was dead, of course, that would be pretty on track for them. They would probably just lie like they had with Shigeko. They probably didn't even care about him anymore, not now that they knew he had powers, and…and maybe that was just how parents were. Or maybe his just sucked, just like Sho's parents sucked, and Teru's sucked, and Reigen's sucked….or maybe life just sucked…or maybe he just needed to stop thinking about this for now.

Thank God Sho had all of these weird problems.