ⁱˡᵒᵐⁱˡᵒ

ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵃʸ ⁱ ᵐᵉᵗ ʸᵒᵘ

A/N: TRIGGER WARNING FOR RACIAL SLURS AND RACIALLY MOTIVATED VIOLENCE ft. an OC! This isn't just filler and yes, the OC is relevant to the ✨plot✨

Shota is a stubborn man that takes every single aspect of his life as what most may argue is a bit too seriously. 

Raising his children. 

Committing to his work. 

Committing to his marriage. 

There never seemed to be any room for mistakes or errors---no room for hypotheticals or the unpredictable. He can admit very well that he's never given himself the same grace and patience that he's offered to others---the same forgiveness. There isn't any excuse for it other than the fact that he's simply afraid. Of what, he's always been unsure. Of failure, maybe? Failure of being a shitty mother. Failure of being a shitty detective.

Failure of being a shitty wife. 

Toshinori (as delicately as he could) has suggested that Shota maybe see a therapist about his such tendencies. He'd called them self-destructive. Self-loathsome. Shota would deny them---had they not have held any truth---but then he'd just be lying to him. And, in turn, lying to himself. 

Hitoshi understood. He'd tried to accommodate his mother as best that he could. 

Eri was confused, wondering why her mother was so stressed---so absent most times---but she loved him abundantly, nevertheless. 

Hizashi had often called him selfish. Shota can't really remember being angry about it, mostly because Hizashi called him selfish most days for anything that he did. Sleeping in. Working late. Taking time off. Nothing was ever good enough for him. Numb, Shota supposes, is the best way to describe how he'd felt about him. 

Masaru seemed to be the only one who'd ever been able to pull Shota out of his head. It's odd in a way---how Masaru often finds Shota's mannerisms quite endearing until, inevitably, they aren't. 

Thankfully, he's rather adept at handling all of Shota's frantic, restless mind and his unpredictable mood swings---especially as of late. He understands that current events have put the raven on edge and (if the chronic nightmares are anything to go by) made him incredibly anxious. The last thing he wanted was to invalidate Shota's well-placed worries by telling him that he's overreacting or that he's being much too sensitive. Instead, he finds soothing and productive ways to keep him occupied and, hopefully, relaxed. 

It's a little difficult to do that when Shota's drowning himself in work to try and distract himself. It's counterproductive considering the fact that work is where all of his anxieties are stemming from anyway but telling him that just makes him upset so Masaru avoids doing so as best he can. He was trying to be patient and wait for Shota to realize that he'd needed a break---or for Shota to tucker himself out---but each passing day simply proves to him that Shota will work until he drops dead if Masaru allows him to. They're three days away from the ball and Shota hasn't gotten even close to a decent amount of rest.

As much as he hates to do so, Masaru has decided to put his foot down.

"Shota." 

"Hm?" 

"Where do you think you are going, love?"