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Satoru knows that things with Suguru’s family are not good. Catastrophically bad even, though Suguru would only wave him off should Satoru ever mention that to him.
Suguru is trying to keep it a secret—of course he is—but it’s hard to keep the aftermath of every single visit he pays his family a secret when you’re attached almost 24/7 and even share an apartment.
Satoru has seen things he wishes he never ever had to see, simply because it meant that Suguru was hurt.
Still, Suguru has never outright said anything and while he makes it a habit not to lie to Satoru he figured out a way to pass whatever aftermath he comes home with off with a joke or a careless remark.
Satoru is on to him, which Suguru knows but there is nothing Satoru can do.
Except for this one thing.
“Suguru,” he calls out when he sees him pack his bag and curses himself when Suguru flinches. He always gets like that before he has to visit his family; skittish and nervous and it’s even worse when he comes back because then he’s not only scared but also hurt and sometimes starving and it only exacerbates the telling signs Suguru shows before he goes to his family.
“What?” Suguru snaps out and that, too, is something that happens before Suguru goes back home.
He gets mean and snappish, unable to sit still and relax as if that would make matters worse once he’s out of the door.
“You know that whatever happens you can call me, right?” Satoru asks, just like he always does right before Suguru leaves for a visit to his family. “It doesn’t matter the time or the day. You can call me anytime and I’ll come get you.”
It’s the only thing Satoru can offer Suguru—a way out.
So far Suguru has never done it; Satoru doesn’t know if he comes close to it sometimes, but Satoru wishes he did. He wishes really fucking badly that Suguru would just call him, tell him to come get him, because seeing Suguru come home with baggy clothes that only poorly hide the bruises and the weight loss is so hard to stomach just as the way Suguru flinches away from any and all touch the first two days after is.
Satoru isn’t quite sure why Suguru continues to go home, what reason he could have to go back to that hellhole it clearly is, but he never dared to ask. Suguru doesn’t talk about his family, not ever and Satoru is afraid that it will make Suguru turn away from him should he prod too insistently.
“Yeah, right,” Suguru scoffs in response to Satoru’s offer, and Satoru rolls his eyes at the predictable answer.
“I will, Suguru, you know that. You only have to say the word and I’ll come get you, no questions asked.”
He means it with every fibre of his being—he’d probably spontaneously develop teleportation in his haste to get to Suguru and he wills Suguru to understand that it’s not just a phrase or an empty promise.
Satoru will come and get him.
His words make Suguru pause for a moment and that never happened before so Satoru dares to have a flicker of hope that maybe, maybe just this once, Suguru believes him.
“Okay,” Suguru finally whispers out, his voice barely audible in the room and Satoru briefly closes his eyes in relief.
That’s as good as it’s going to get for today, he knows that, but he still can’t help but to step forward.
“Can I hug you?” he asks because physical touch is a bit touch and go in the days leading up to Suguru’s visit to his family and Satoru learned to keep his hands to himself in that time. He mostly doesn’t bother to ask either, because Suguru has shut him down often enough for him to learn his lesson but right now Satoru feels as if he’s going to disintegrate if he doesn’t get to touch Suguru right this instant.
Suguru hesitates before he answers, his shoulders almost rising up to his ears before he deflates again.
“Yeah,” he breathes out and Satoru has him in his arms mere moments later.
Suguru melts into him, clinging to his back as if he’s afraid Satoru will vanish right out of his arms and Satoru presses every ounce of love he has for Suguru into the hug, hoping it will be enough.
It has to be, if Suguru doesn’t ask for his help, Satoru knows that, but it never gets easier to bear.
“Just one call, Suguru,” Satoru reminds him and Suguru huffs out an exasperated breath.
“I heard you the first time,” he gives back and Satoru bites his lip so he doesn’t say anything that might shatter this moment.
Satoru offered to come get him for the first time almost three years ago and since then Suguru has not called him once. But it wouldn’t do to point that out now, because maybe this time will be different.
Maybe this time Suguru will trust Satoru to do as he says.
“Alright,” Satoru only replies and squeezes Suguru until he wheezes because it makes him laugh when Satoru pulls away.
“Now leave me alone, I have to pack,” Suguru says and Satoru’s fingers itch with the need to hide Suguru’s suitcase away as if that could keep him from leaving.
It’s only winter break, so it’ll barely be a week Suguru has to spend at home this time and Satoru is grateful for it because that means they at least can’t starve him until he’s only skin and bones like they sometimes do in the summer.
It always takes Satoru an awful long time to get some meat back on Suguru then, though so far he’s always managed to bounce back eventually.
“’kay. I’m in the living-room,” Satoru offers, in case Suguru might want to take a break and come do nothing with Satoru but a court nod is all he gets in reply.
Suguru doesn’t emerge from his room for the rest of the evening and despite his best efforts to wake up on time, Suguru is already gone when Satoru’s alarm rings.
And now Satoru’s least favourite time of any given break starts because now he’ll worry about Suguru until the moment he steps back into the door.
But this is all Satoru can do.
~*~*~
Satoru is at a stupid company function, bored out of his mind with the mindless small talk he has to make with people his father deems important, and so it’s a welcome reprieve when his phone rings halfway through the night.
The delight of that lasts for all of five seconds because then he registers Suguru’s name on the display and immediately Satoru feels cold with worry.
“Hey, Suguru,” he greets him when he picks up and moves to the edges of the room, turning away from people so he can better concentrate on Suguru.
“Satoru,” Suguru whispers out and he sounds scared. “You—said to call you,” Suguru goes on, his voice thin and shaking and the phone cracks with how hard Satoru is gripping it.
“I did,” he confirms and he hears Suguru take in a shuddering breath.
“Get me out of here. Please, Satoru, take me away from here, I can’t—please,” he gasps out and Satoru nods immediately.
“I’ll be there in two hours,” he gives back, no questions asked and because he might have had Suguru’s family’s address saved in his phone for an eternity now. “Are you safe until then? Can you leave and check into a hotel or something?”
“I’m—I think I’m good until then, they are all passed out and I’m locked into my room, it’ll be fine.”
It sounds more like Suguru is reassuring himself than Satoru and Satoru wishes he gets to punch the people who did this to Suguru.
“If you’re not, at any point in the next two hours, you leave and you check into a hotel. Tell them to call me, I’ll pay for it,” Satoru says as he briskly walks towards the exit.
“Satoru!” his father suddenly calls out and Satoru bites back a curse.
“Satoru?” Suguru also asks, unsure once more and Satoru hums.
“Suguru, I promise, I’ll be there in two hours. Stay where you are, or leave if you can. But text me where you’re going, I’ll pick you up anywhere. Can you do that for me?” he asks and wants to cry when he hears Suguru sob.
“I can,” he finally gets out.
“Alright. I’ll hang up now, cause I have to get the car. If you want to call me while I’m driving, do that, I’ll put you on speaker,” Satoru promises him and he hangs up on Suguru after a shaky “Okay.”.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Satoru’s father asks and Satoru really couldn’t care less about the tone he’s using with him right now.
“I have to go. I won’t be back. Send my stuff back to the apartment later,” he tells his father and doesn’t wait for his answer.
He’ll pay for that later, because while his parents aren’t physical with him like Suguru’s family clearly is with him, Satoru’s parents are big fans of psychological abuse and it’s likely he’ll get a reminder about that soon in the future.
“Satoru,” Satoru’s father warningly says but Satoru waves him off.
“I don’t have time for this, so bye. Have fun,” he calls over his shoulder and then simply walks away from him.
He’s in the car and on the street mere minutes later and he’s driving faster than is allowed, all in his need to get to Suguru. He promised him he’s going to get him out of there and he absolutely will.
It takes Satoru one hour and forty-three minutes to get to Suguru’s house and he’s about to ring the doorbell when he remembers that Suguru said everyone is passed out. It probably wouldn’t do to wake everyone up again so he gets his phone and dials Suguru’s number.
“I’m outside your house,” Satoru tells him as soon as Suguru picks up. “Can you come out on your own? Can you let me in?”
“There’s a neon green pot to your left,” Suguru tells him in response. “There’s a key taped underneath.”
“Alright, got it,” Satoru says as he bends down.
“Don’t—Satoru, don’t wake anyone up, don’t—I can’t—”
“I’ll be quiet,” he reassures Suguru. “Where do I go once I’m in?” he asks, because he’d rather have that talk out here than inside and risk waking anyone.
“Through the hallway, up the stairs, to your left then the second door on the right.”
“Up, left, second door on the right,” Satoru repeats. “I’ll knock once, then two short ones and another long one, okay?”
“Thank you,” Suguru mutters out and then hangs up on him.
Satoru immediately lets himself into the house and he almost gags when the waft of alcohol hits him.
Now it makes more sense that Suguru doesn’t drink, he bitterly thinks and quickly but silently makes his way through the house.
There’s just enough light for him not to stumble over any stray bottles and soon he’s on the first floor where he turns left and then stops in front of the second door to his right.
A long knock, two short ones and another long and the door flies open, revealing a dishevelled Suguru.
Satoru thinks he spots a black eye, but he can’t be sure because Suguru throws himself into his arms.
“Thank you,” he sobs out. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, I promised you, didn’t I?” Satoru says briefly squeezing him. “Do you have your stuff? If so, let’s go.”
Suguru pulls back from him to dart back into the room, getting his suitcase and then they are on their way down the stairs again.
Satoru is on edge, expecting someone to step into their path at any moment and Suguru is clearly scared of the same, because he keeps one hand fisted in Satoru’s shirt, but they make it out without incident.
They hop into the car and Satoru immediately drives them out of there. He pulls over once they are a few streets away from Suguru’s house and turns towards him as soon as the engine is off.
“Let me see you,” he mutters as he turns Suguru’s head around.
Just like he feared Suguru’s sporting a black eye and his lip is split. Suguru tries to hide his injuries but deflates when he realises that it’s too late.
“Do you need to see a doctor?” Satoru asks because Suguru’s safety is his top priority.
“No,” Suguru whispers and even though Satoru has a hard time believing him he lets it go for now.
“If that changes, you tell me,” Satoru simply says. “I’ll drive us home otherwise.”
He’s about to reach for the key when Suguru’s hand closes around his wrist.
“That’s it?” he asks, clearly scared of what Satoru will say but it seems as if he needs to have an answer.
“That’s it,” Satoru confirms. “I’m here if you want to talk about it, or just about some of it, but I’m also here if you don’t want to do that. I’m not going to ask, not if you don’t want me to. I just want to get you home and put you to bed to bundle you up and then maybe hold you for the rest of the night.”
“And tomorrow?”
“And tomorrow I will press you about why you always, always go back because this cannot happen again and we’ll find a solution for whatever it is that brings you back to them and then we’ll spend the rest of the day with take-out and movies.”
“You don’t need to press,” Suguru mutters and slides his hand down Satoru’s arm until he can lace their fingers together.
Satoru feels him shaking but he doesn’t comment on it.
“I called you, didn’t I? You don’t have to—I’ll tell you, everything, if you want. But that—it’s about money, because when is it ever not.”
“Alright,” Satoru simply says and raises their hands to press a kiss to the back of Suguru’s. “You have me. I’ll pay in their stead. You know I will. So don’t worry about that.”
“I—” Suguru’s eyes are filled with tears again “—I didn’t want to ask for that.”
“You didn’t,” Satoru softly tells him. “I’m offering. Well, telling you more like, because we’re well past the offering state,” he then corrects himself and even though there are tears running down Suguru’s face he smiles at him.
“Thank you,” Suguru says again and Satoru is honestly uncomfortable hearing it.
“Don’t do that. Don’t thank me for this,” he mutters and Suguru squeezes his hand.
“Alright. But—just—know that I’m going to kiss you when everything is said and done,” Suguru tells him and even though he tries to sound confident Satoru sees the way his shoulder’s hunch in on themselves as if he needs to protect himself from an incoming hit.
Satoru takes a deep breath because even though he wants to blurt out that he’d like nothing more than that, this is an absolutely shitty situation and there’s a chance Suguru isn’t thinking clearly.
“If you still want to do that tomorrow then know that it will be happily received but I’m not going to hold you to it if you change your mind,” Satoru offers and Suguru slowly relaxes.
“Fine,” he huffs out before he takes his hand back. “Then get us back home so we can sleep and tomorrow can come sooner.”
“Fair,” Satoru chuckles but then goes serious again. “Suguru, thank you. For calling me.”
Suguru briefly presses his lips together before he gives Satoru a tight smile.
“It’s you. It’s okay if it’s you, right? I’m safe with you.”
“Always,” Satoru promises and then starts the car again.
He needs to get them home so he can put some ice on Suguru’s eyes and so he can get some rest where he doesn’t have to fear for his safety and if Suguru still wants it at the end of it all, then Satoru is also going to cuddle the hell out of Suguru.
But all of that will come once they are back home. Right now, it’s enough that Suguru is as safe and sound as he can be, because he trusted Satoru to come and get him.
And that is worth so much more than anything else.