Chapter 12

He releases another exasperated sigh as he tries not to shuffle his feet as he's on his way back to his apartment. The grocery bag in his hand swings back and forth as he climbs the stairs, wet sandals slopping on every step, grumbling under his breaths the whole way up.

He had planned to get the rest of his papers done by tonight. He had already worked out the time to start on it, and it is scheduled to finish just before midnight, giving him enough time to have a good night's rest. With a good round of coffee and a handful of his favorite flavored jelly pouches, he'll be good to go.

Well, the lady of fate was not on his side tonight because not only did he run out of coffee, his entire stock of jelly pouches was out too. And he only found out about this after he had put on his casual clothes and laid out all the papers on the table. So he had to run to the nearest store that usually sells his stuff.

They're out of stock on all the ones he wanted.

Still spirited despite the moon already high in the sky, he ran to the second nearest store. Thankfully they were still in stock; unfortunately, the queue was long, very long. When he finally arrived at the cashier counter, he already gave up on finishing the papers on time and accepted that he will not be getting any night rest tonight.

To make matters worse, halfway on his way home, the sky began to open up and pour rain on him. He had to sprint the rest of the way. He had left his capture weapon at home because he thought this would be a quick run (which it is not), so not only is he soaked and cold, he is tired from all the running.

Tonight is just not his night.

He releases a massive sigh of relief once he arrives on his floor.

But the relief quickly goes away, instantly replaced by high alert, ready to fight.

His front door is ajar. The splinters on the doorframe shows that someone had forcefully broken into his home.

He takes off his squelching sandals and puts down the grocery bag. Then, with slow but cautious movements, he pushes the door at the right speed to not make the hinges squeak. It swings open silently and stops just before hitting the wall.

No sounds coming from the inside. The only source of sound that enters his ears is the light drizzle of rain coming from behind him.

He enters with silent steps, cautiously making his way inside. The living room looks pristine; nothing looked ransacked, meaning it is not a burglary. Nothing looks amiss, except for his bedroom door. It shares similar traits with his front door. Whoever entered his home, they are specifically looking for him.

And they are most probably in his bedroom.

He cautiously approaches his bedroom, blood pumping in his ears, ready for a fight. He quietly presses his back to the wall right next to his bedroom door. He strains his ears, listening to any foreign sound and comes to none. The window is not broken or opened.

Someone is in his bedroom.

He slowly peeks around the doorframe and peers inside.

Instantly, his eyes land on the crumpled form on the floor in his bedroom, one hand clinging onto his capture weapon he had discarded earlier today. The numerous tears on the white suit reveal cuts on the skin instantly attracts his eyes.

Instantly, he knows who it is.

"Usagiyama!"

He rushes in and over to her. He drops to his knees right next to her motionless body. He carefully turns her body over until she's laying on her back while simultaneously checking over the condition of her body. A quick glance over and a touch tells him that none of the cuts are life-threatening; most wounds are already healed. She'll survive; just needs new clothes and a cleanup.

"Zawa…?" The weak voice gains his attention. He looks up to her face and sees her eyes crack open. Her red pupils are glued to him.

"What happened, Usagiyama?" he asks as he carefully puts his hand on her shoulder. He tries not to jostle her too much; he's not risking aggravating her wounds, even if they're not dangerous. She looks weak, exhausted. Is it related to her injuries?

"Villain," she manages to grunt out. Then, with a shaky hand, one that is not still holding onto his capture weapon, she grabs onto his hand that is on her shoulder. She squeezes it albeit weakly. "…Worried…"

"Worried?" He frowns. "For?"

"You."

His frown only deepens.

Him?

"Villain…" Her voice suddenly drops to a whisper. "He knows you. He said he'll find you. And I… I can't let him. But when I got here and couldn't find you… I thought I was too late." He can see her lips begin to quiver and feel her hand tightens. "I thought he got you."

He can feel her body shudder. Maybe her wounds are worse than he initially thinks.

"That's illogical," he replies almost instantly, voice still rough like usual but he lets a touch of softness into his tone a little bit (because he thinks she needs a little bit of reassurance from him). "No Villain can take me down so easily."

Her eyes widen, red pupils so small as she stares deeply into his eyes. He holds eye contact, not blinking once. Then, she releases a quiet but long sigh, making him realize that she had been holding her breath. She gives his hand one last squeeze before he feels it slacken.

"Yeah," she says, voice still quiet but she sounds less strained now. "Yeah, that was… illogical of me." She closes her eyes again before taking a deep breath. When she slowly releases a sigh, she reopens her eyes and stares up at him. "Where… were you?"

"Last minute grocery run. I was supposed to be back an hour ago but things didn't go my way."

He notices the corner of her lips twitching so slightly.

"Ok."

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No. The cuts ain't anything. They'll heal fine."

"Alright. Can you move?"

She doesn't answer immediately. She looks like she's contemplating the answer for a bit.

"No, tired."

He can't help but narrow his eyes at her. She doesn't change her expression but he notices her lips are twitching, as if suppressing the urge to give him a cheeky smile.

He lets out a sigh before he carefully puts an arm under her knees and another behind her back. Finally, her face breaks into a familiar smile albeit tiredly. He pulls her closer first before he effortlessly gets up to his feet. He feels her shifting in his arms, moving around a little bit.

Then, she presses her ear over the left side of his chest, right over his heart.

"Your clothes in taters," he points out. He peeks around her body and onto the carpet below. A quick glance over tells him it is not dirty; she didn't bleed, thankfully. "I'll lend you mine just for tonight," he adds after as he carefully maneuvers over his discarded capture weapon on the floor that is further spreaded by Usagiyama, making his way to his bed.

He feels her gasping instead of hearing it. He glances down at her, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. She stiffens under his gaze and gives him an awkward smile.

"Ah. Thanks."

She sounds awkward too.

Her cheeks are redder than usual too.

He ignores her unusual behavior as he walks over to his bed. Once he is close enough, he gently lets her down, letting her sit on the edge of said bed. She barely sinks into it, showing its rare usage. Even Usagiyama looks surprised by it. He turns around and heads for his walk-in closet. He fishes out his usual black long sleeve shirt and a pair of long black sweatpants (not the pink one).

"Here." He returns back and hands her the clothes. He notices her sucking in her breath before slowly taking them off from his hand. She is staring down at them with wide eyes. "While you change, I'm grabbing the first aid kit to get those cuts treated."

With that said, he turns around and makes his way out of the bedroom. Along the way, he commands his capture weapon and it flies to his hand. He carries it out and closes the door behind him, leaving Usagiyama a private space to change.

Here he stands in the living room. The static noise of the sound of the rain re-enters his ears. He quickly realizes that the front door is still opened. It's louder now, telling him that the rain has come down harder now. He quickly heads over to it, grabbing his wet grocery bag and kicks in his sandals, before he closes the door, muffling any noise from outside, and locking it.

Then, he makes his way to the kitchen and puts the newly bought items on their shelves. He takes his time, wanting to give Usagiyama as much time as possible. Even though he believes she can stand, he still believes she is genuinely exhausted.

He makes himself a glass of water in the meantime.

.

*Knock Knock*

"I'm coming in."

He opens the door and enters slowly and keeps his eyes on the floor, just so he doesn't walk in on her. When he doesn't hear any protest he finally looks up and sees that Usagiyama is still where he had last seen her. This time, she is wearing the spare clothes he had given her. Her tattered uniform is placed close to the wall, away from the bed.

He'll deal with that later.

A quick once lookover tells him that she seems fine. Her face is still flushed and her eyes seem half-lidded than usual. And she is fisting his shirt quite tightly.

"Since it's raining, you'll be staying here," he states bluntly.

"Okay."

…She didn't react like he expected her to be.

"You'll take the bed."

She straightens up, surprised by his words.

"But-"

"It's fine. I usually use my sleeping bag."

And he has some work to do anyway, so he won't be sleeping tonight.

"No, not that. Just…" She suddenly trails off. She breaks off eye contact and stares down her lap. Her hold on the shirt tightens. He quietly waits until she opens her mouth again. "Can you… stay for a bit?" she asks timidly while not looking at him.

That's when he realizes that her shoulders are still tense, her fingers are fidgeting, and her entire body is shaking albeit so slightly it's almost unnoticeable.

She has not recovered from it, he realizes.

Silently resigned, he wordlessly walks before he sits down on the bed right next to her, so close that their shoulders brushed.

Almost immediately, she leans into him and puts her head on his shoulder. He feels her body slacken, further putting her onto him. When he hears her releasing a huge sigh, he looks down at her.

She looks eternally grateful.

It seems she really does need this. It must've shaken her to the core. Whatever that Villain said, it must've been incredibly personal.

"Thank you, Shouta."

He doesn't correct her, letting her have this moment, letting her recover.

He stays here, still, unmoved, as her breaths slowly even out until he knows for sure she has fallen asleep. Even then, he doesn't make any motion to move away from his spot. Something tells him that his absence will stir her up and her worry might return.

He guesses he'll have to abandon the idea of completing those papers.

.

He wakes up with a light gasp as his eyes snap open.

He stares up at the ceiling he rarely sees, despite living under it for so many years. He feels the stiff softness of his bed on his back. He feels his legs dangling on the edge, feet touching the floor.

He doesn't remember when he had fallen asleep, but it seems he did.

He lets out a groan when he sits up. The ray of light from the cracks of the curtains suggests it's early morning.

Seeing how he has woken up alone, it seems Usagiyama has left. She's probably gone as soon as morning comes.

Turning his attention to his bed, he quickly sees the clothes that he had lent her are placed and neatly folded on it.

She didn't have to go that far.

Fun fact: this chapter in particular was written in completion all the way back in 2018, long before I discovered EraserBunny. In fact, this chapter initially wasn't EraserBunny themed.