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Hizashi is the very picture of misery on the couch when Shouta comes home and the pitiful whine he lets out at seeing Shouta doesn't help at all.
"What's wrong with you?" Shouta asks, stepping close and pushing his hand through Hizashi's unbound hair.
He's sweaty and hot to the touch and instantly Shouta's worry doubles.
"I'm dying," Hizashi croaks out, his voice rough and breaking over the words and Shouta huffs out a breath.
"Dramatic much?" he gives back, though he does put his hand to Hizashi's forehead to be able to take his temperature more reliably.
He's definitely got a fever, Shouta decides and makes a mental note of all the things he'll need to buy for him.
"Shou, don't be mean, I could be on my deathbed," Hizashi whines out even though talking clearly hurts his throat and Shouta rolls his eyes.
"You're not going to die because of a silly little flu," Shouta tells him and he slips his hand down to Hizashi's throat. "But maybe don't talk for a while, huh?"
"That's as good as being dead," Hizashi mutters, looking up at Shouta with big, pleading eyes. "Help?"
"Good to know you think so highly of me that you expect me to be able to simply do something about the flu, but you really just have to ride it out."
It's clearly not what Hizashi wanted to hear, going by the pained groan he lets out and the way he melts into the couch speaks of more desperation than this really warrants and still, Shouta can't help but be hopelessly endeared.
"You're not going to die, so stop being such a baby about it," he says, his voice fonder than he really means it to be, but he simply can't help it when it comes to Hizashi.
"I just might," Hizashi says and if speaking is only half as painful for him as it is for Shouta to listen to him then they have a real problem.
"How's your throat?"
On fire, Hizashi signs back that is a bad sign. Everything hurts.
Well, that's really fucking bad then, Shouta thinks and he can see the same underlying worry in Hizashi's eyes.
He's reliant on his voice and sicknesses like this always threaten his quirk as well because if this somehow damages his vocal cords permanently, there's no saying what it will do to his quirk.
So for all the banter, this is definitely something to take serious.
"Okay," Shouta softly mutters and cups Hizashi's cheek in his hand. "I'll go out and get you some stuff. No dying while I'm out."
'kay, I'll keep it for when you're back, Hizashi signs back and Shouta snorts out a laugh.
"Do that," he agrees and then walks right back out, mentally compiling a list of all the medication he'll need for Hizashi.
Shouta almost rushes through the stores, buying way more stuff than they'll probably need but he can admit that the worry sits too deep to leave Hizashi for long. He doesn't get sick often, so it's not as if Shouta has any opportunity to get used to it and besides. He doubts he ever could, because seeing his husband suffer like that would surely never get easier.
He's back home in record time, and Hizashi is still in the same slumped heap he had been in when Shouta has left.
"Gotten any worse?" Shouta asks and waits until Hizashi shakes his head in answer before he vanishes into the kitchen.
He throws his loot onto the table, quickly sifting through it and picking out the medicine Hizashi will need to take right now. With that back in hand he goes back out to the living-room and Hizashi takes the offered medicine without complaint.
That alone would be cause to worry because Hizashi hates any kind of medicine but he dutifully takes it and doesn't even pull a face when it goes down.
"You're really worrying me," Shouta admits but Hizashi only blinks up at him.
Sorry, he offers after a pause that lasted way too long and Shouta reaches out to take his temperature again.
He's still burning up and maybe that's worse than Shouta thought in the beginning. Good thing he got something for the fever, too, even though Hizashi can only take that before going to bed.
"I'll make you some tea," Shouta offers and quickly vanishes into the kitchen again, adding just enough sugar to the tea to make it palatable for Hizashi and then he's back at his side.
"Sugar and tea, drink up," Shouta cheerfully says and endures Hizashi's glare gracefully.
It's supposed to be tea and honey. Where's my honey?
Shouta cannot believe that they need to have this conversation again but clearly Hizashi loves to rile him up.
"You're allergic to honey. You're going to die if I give you honey."
It's a bit of an exaggeration, because so far Hizashi has only complained about a persistent itching and a slight swelling when he consumes honey, but Shouta is not going to take any chances and especially not when Hizashi is already sick.
It's supposed to help.
"Well, lucky for you, this is special herbal tea that's supposed to help all on its own, so stop being such a difficult asshole and drink up."
Rude. I could be on my deathbed.
"Yeah, you sure will be, if you keep it up," Shouta grumbles back, which makes Hizashi smile brightly before he takes the tea and finally takes a sip.
He immediately pulls a face, so Shouta knows it's one of the good herbal ones and then he motions for him to go on.
Hizashi begrudgingly does, even though Shouta can tell he hates every sip he takes but eventually he drains the mug and hands it back to Shouta.
That was horrible, I demand compensation, he then signs and it's exactly what Shouta expected so he deposits the mug on the table and then sits down next to Hizashi, not at all surprised when he immediately snuggles into his side.
"You'll have to take more medicine later," Shouta softly tells him as he pulls him into his arms and even though Hizashi grumbles unhappily he nods.
He knows he has to, to minimize the danger to this throat and he'll do it, too, even if he doesn't like it.
Shouta will make sure of that and then he'll reward him for it, as well.
~*~*~
Shouta has just poured himself a coffee when their doorbell rings.
"Are you expecting someone?" Hizashi asks him, and Shouta only sends him a glare, because he and Hitoshi are right there at home so who in the goddamn world would Shouta even expect.
"Okay, sorry for asking, I guess," Hizashi grumbles, but there's a small smile playing around his mouth.
He doesn't make a move to go and open the door though, so after one last longing look at his coffee and after another long ring from the door, Shouta makes his way over.
He did not expect to come face to face with Bakugo.
"I'm here to see Shinsou," Bakugo declares, as if that is a totally normal thing to say to his teacher on a late Saturday morning and Shouta is yet about to find some words for him when a door in the apartment flies open.
"I'm here, I'm here," a gravelly voice rings out and Shouta frowns as he turns around.
Hitoshi shows up in the hallway with the craziest bed hair Shouta has seen in a while, a blanket slung around his shoulders and sounding like actual death.
Well. That certainly would explain why he hadn't come out for breakfast.
"What the actual fuck," Bakugo mutters and then simply pushes past Shouta into the apartment as if he has any right to that and Shouta comes to the realisation that maybe, he does.
Hitoshi certainly doesn't seem surprised by any of this and Shouta wonders just how much he has missed here.
"Why are you even up, you stupid troll doll, sit down for god’s sake," Bakugo grumbles out and herds Hitoshi towards the living-room where he bodily shoves him into the couch.
Shouta makes his way back to the kitchen, suddenly feeling as if he's intruding on something he shouldn't be seeing, which is just stupid as hell because that's his living-room. At least Hizashi seems as surprised as he is.
What's going on? he signs so he doesn't draw attention and Shouta shakes his head before he shrugs.
It's not as if he has an answer to this.
"Why would you tell me to come over if you're very clearly dying, you stupid idiot?"
"Sorry for not wanting to cancel last minute," Hitoshi rasps out and Shouta winces, because that sounds painful.
He mentally updates his shopping list for today, because Hitoshi is going to need something for that.
"I would think the bacteria is eating your brain but you've always been fucking stupid, so I guess that's just how you are," Bakugo snaps at Hitoshi and Hizashi makes half a move to interfere, but he stills when Shouta puts a hand to his shoulder, slightly shaking his head.
He has no idea what's going on but he'd like to see it play out, he can't lie about that.
"I just wanted to—"
"Stop talking, would you? Fuck, you sound like death, so just stay fucking quiet for once. I know you're a professional yapper but goddamn try. Gimme your key," Bakugo decisively says and holds out his hand, clearly expecting Hitoshi to go along with that.
Shouta can see Hitoshi opening his mouth and not a second later Bakugo has clasped a hand over it.
"No. Speaking. Gods, just how stupid are you. Sign, if you have something important to say."
Shouta can see Hitoshi glaring at Bakugo but he obediently signs out At the door, purple cat on it and Shouta is pretty sure he hears Bakugo grumble "Of fucking course there's a purple cat on it," before he points a finger at Hitoshi.
"You are not going to move until I'm back," he decides and then marches back to the front door.
Shouta can hear him picking up a key, presumably Hitoshi's, and then there's the sound of a door.
The silence that settles over the apartment is almost deafening.
"What the hell just happened?" Hizashi finally breathes out and Shouta sees Hitoshi go bright red on the couch.
"Ah," Shouta says and Hizashi follows his gaze before he lets out a squeal.
"Shut up," Hitoshi snaps as best as he can with his voice being shot to hell but Hizashi still falls obediently quiet. It's not like that, Hitoshi then signs and Shouta snorts.
"Sure it's not, kid," he easily gives back, because it's exactly like that and Hitoshi's deepening blush only proves him right.
Still, Hizashi and he know when to push Hitoshi and when to just let it be for now and this is certainly not a pushing situation, so they go back to what they were doing before, though Shouta keeps an eye out for Hitoshi.
To his surprise he stays exactly where Bakugo told him to stay, and that alone is telling enough. It takes Bakugo twenty minutes before he comes back with not one but two shopping bags and he marches into the kitchen as if he owns it.
"I'm going to use your kitchen," he declares as he comes in and it's clear he doesn't expect them to argue so they don't.
Shouta finds he doesn't even want to when Bakugo pulls out fresh ingredients for a soup after he put on some water.
Shouta and Hizashi watch him prepare things until the water boils, prompting Bakugo to fix a cup of tea with some sugar in it, which he immediately brings out to Hitoshi.
"One tea with sugar. Drink up, zombie face."
"Where's the honey?" Hitoshi rasps out and immediately wilts under Bakugo's glare.
"You're allergic, you dumb fuck. No honey for you."
Hitoshi pouts up at Bakugo, he honestly to god pouts, but Bakugo only stares him down.
"If you want to die, I can help that along," he then offers and raises his hands in warning.
"But I want honey," Hitoshi mutters and Shouta snorts because he still remembers very vividly the same discussion he had with Hizashi a year or two ago.
Going by the look Hizashi sends him, he remembers it, too.
"And I want you to shut up, and yet here we are," Bakugo gives back with a shrug. "Drink that or I'll make you," he then adds with a nod towards the mug and Hitoshi cradles the cup closer to himself.
"My parents are literally right there," he then tries, voice raspy and it's clear that Bakugo is reaching the end of his rope because his face goes more outraged than ever.
"What did I fucking say about talking?" he snaps but goes on before Hitoshi can say something else. "You were the one who didn't cancel. If you didn't want them to see this then you should have just told me to stay the fuck away. This is on you."
Hitoshi opens his mouth, clearly to argue, but snaps it back shut when Bakugo gives him a stare so fierce even Shouta finds himself raising an eyebrow.
"You're literally dependant on your goddamn voice to use your quirk, why does that not want into your thick, stupid skull? Drink your tea, stay goddamn quiet and let me make you a fucking soup," Bakugo says and then leaves Hitoshi on the couch, staring after him with something akin to wonder on his face and Shouta rolls his eyes.
Kids and their flirting these days.
"You're making soup?" Hizashi asks when Bakugo is back in the kitchen and he jumps as if he had forgotten they were there in the first place.
"It'll help with his—everything," Bakugo says after a moment and Shouta supresses a grin.
This is so definitely just like that and he doesn't even need to see Hitoshi's starstruck expression to know that.
Shouta and Hizashi have literally had the same exact conversation and so Shouta knows from experience that this particular bullying comes from a place of worry and love.
Shouta shares a knowing glance with Hizashi and then they begrudgingly hand over their kitchen to Bakugo who gets to work immediately.
When they join Hitoshi in the living-room, he gives them both a look.
Do not say a word, he warns them and they both raise their hands, showing their absolute innocence.
We would never, Hizashi signs, though he can't quite keep the grin from his face and Hitoshi goes red in the face again.
Sure, kid. It's just funny because everyone always says you're like me, but you're clearly more like Hizashi and Bakugo is like me, Shouta tells him and that makes Hitoshi frown in confusion.
Shou and I had this exact same exchange like two years ago; I was sick and he was bullying me into getting better.
That’s not a fair comparison, you’re married.
We sure are, kid, Shouta signs with a pointed look towards the kitchen and Hitoshi hides himself away in his blanket.
"I can hear you sign from all the way over here. Either shut up or tell me to get lost!"
"You told me to not talk out loud!" Hitoshi calls back and then promptly has to cough when his voice breaks.
"And that's exactly why, dipshit," Bakugo yells back and then appears in the doorway.
Shouta thinks he's allowed a little bit of teasing, seeing as how Bakugo simply took command of their flat and so he gives him his most pleasant look.
"We were just talking about how alike you and Hitoshi are to me and Hizashi," he informs him and watches—for maybe the first time in his life—how Bakugo goes speechless before he finds his footing again.
"You two are literally married," he gets out, and Shouta smirks when Hitoshi sinks deeper into the couch.
"Exactly," Hizashi fills in for him with a wink and Shouta almost laughs when Bakugo goes red in the face before he turs around and hides himself back in the kitchen.
"Dad," Hitoshi whines out and Hizashi pats his head while Shouta only smiles at him.
"You know, he's right though. No talking. And just in case it wasn't clear," Hizashi adds and then louder, so that Bakugo can hear him as well, he adds "We approve!"
"Oh, fuck off," comes Bakugo's grumbling from the kitchen, but he doesn't seem to protest the sentiment itself and Hitoshi must realise at well because he melts into the couch with a content little sigh.
Oh, to be young and stupidly in love again, Shouta thinks but when his eyes fall on Hizashi he realises that he might not be quite as young as he used to be but he's definitely still stupidly in love and when Hizashi reaches out to tangle their hands together, Shouta knows he feels the same.
"Gross," Hitoshi whispers and Hizashi flips his forehead.
"We literally had to see you and Bakugo aggressively flirt in our living-room. I think a little hand-holding can be excused."
"Ah, shush, 'zashi, he's just jealous cause he isn't at the hand-holding stage," Shouta adds, because ribbing his son is quite literally his job as a father.
"Yet," comes Bakugo grumbling voice from the kitchen, making Hitoshi go bright red in the face again and Shouta can't even deny the fact that he's delighted by this.
This is absolutely what his son deserves.