Archive of Our Own

It had been less than a week since Kazuki and Rei had become ‘official.’ 

Kazuki looked back fondly on the evening it had all come to the surface, just after Miri had been put to bed.

Rei had planned to game for a bit while Kazuki sat and watched him. They were determined to finish off the bottle of wine they had opened with the pizza they had ordered for dinner that evening.

Kazuki refilled their glasses, distributing the last of the wine, while Rei turned on the gaming console. However, the console remained on the main menu screen, neglected as they sat together on the sofa, angled towards one another with their knees touching, and talked instead.

It turned out that when Rei had enough to drink, his man-of-few-words demeanor slipped ever so slightly. Though Kazuki also wondered if Rei had been opening up a bit more now, thanks to their recent lifestyle change.

Regardless, Kazuki was glad.

However, the alcohol had also lowered some of Kazuki’s inhibitions as well.

Generally, Kazuki tried to be careful about invading Rei’s personal space too much. He slipped up occasionally. Sometimes he’d forget and hook an arm around Rei’s shoulders, dragging him along, or excitedly grab him by the wrist and pulling him along on their family outings.

Kazuki knew the other man wasn’t the most physically affectionate and preferred to keep to himself, and he tried to respect that. Ever since Miri had come into their lives, Kazuki knew that with their young daughter, the other man could sometimes get overwhelmed by the now five-year-old’s constant hugging, tugging, climbing, and touching.

However, that night—under the influence of the wine—Kazuki’s fingers had somehow ended up in Rei’s hair as they drunkenly giggled about how Rei’s hair was getting long again.

Kazuki suggested that it might be time for another haircut, and Rei mentioned that he was thinking about growing it out. Humming to himself, Kazuki considered Rei with longer hair, possibly pulled back into a low ponytail. His stomach churned pleasantly, thinking about how handsome the other man would look.

Belatedly, he realized that his hand had remained tangled in Rei’s hair as they talked, and Kazuki was pleasantly surprised that Rei hadn’t recoiled from his touch.

In fact, Rei had leaned into it.

Testing the limits, Kazuki’s thumb lightly brushed over Rei’s cheekbone, and suddenly they were both aware of how close they were. Kazuki slowly leaned in, waiting for Rei to pull away—to tell Kazuki he didn’t want this. But when he didn’t, Kazuki chastely pressed his lips against Rei’s for the briefest of moments.

Admittedly, Kazuki had begun to harbor feelings for his coworker-turned-roommate-turned-co-parent quite some time ago. However, he had unconsciously suppressed those feelings as much as he could. He still felt guilty about moving on in life without Yuzuko. It felt like a disservice to her memory to have romantic feelings for someone new. 

Much to his surprise, Kazuki had been elated to learn that Rei reciprocated his feelings, despite having a distinct lack of previous interest or experience in romance. Rei admitted he had been hesitant to voice any of his feelings because of that, combined with the fact that he was aware of Kazuki’s status as a widower. He never wanted to presume that Kazuki would have any interest in anything with Rei after losing his wife. 

However, after going through the harrowing experience of leaving the business to raise Miri together, it had all eventually bubbled to the surface with the aid of the intoxicating wine.

Along with the unexpected shock that Rei actually returned his feelings, Kazuki was also surprised to find that Rei was more touch-starved than touch-averse. The other man could still be overwhelmed with it all, but more often than not, Kazuki found Rei’s hands reaching for him.

However, that also left a veritable minefield of their physical affection changing too much and drawing the attention of their very perceptive daughter. 

As far as Miri knew, her two papas were still just good friends who had agreed to raise her together. But she was bound to start asking questions if she noticed them holding hands, sitting closer together on the sofa during their family movie nights, or even emerging from the same bedroom in the mornings. 

They had to tell her something before too long, but how much of it would she really understand?

That Friday afternoon, after Kazuki had picked Miri up from daycare, they decided to sit her down and explain the change in their relationship to her. 

Kazuki had a whole plan: they would make Miri’s favorite French toast dish for dinner, along with the promise of their traditional Friday night movie night afterwards. He hoped that it would be enough to show her that nothing was going to change their family dynamics despite Kazuki and Rei’s relationship shifting slightly. 

“Hey, Miri, Rei-papa, and I have something to talk to you about once you finish washing up, so come back out when you’re done, okay?” Kazuki said, hoping to convey a casual enough tone to assure her that nothing bad was coming. 

She still tilted her head in confusion after hanging up her backpack and pulling off her rain jacket. 

“O-Okay,” Miri agreed before hurrying down the hall to her room and bathroom and getting changed out of her daycare clothes.

Kazuki sighed as he watched her scurry down the hallway. He hated being such a worrywart when it came to their daughter. He’d never been much of an anxious person throughout his life, but since taking in Miri, he was constantly beside himself, overthinking everything when it came to her.

He nearly startled as Rei silently sidled up next to him and gently placed a hand at the small of Kazuki’s back.

“It’ll be fine,” Rei said, reassuringly. “You remember how much she’s already been through. She’s stronger than you think.” 

“I know…it’s just…heaping on more change on top of everything else that’s changed recently,” Kazuki sighed, glancing over at his partner and leaning back into Rei’s touch. 

“This is a good change,” Rei reminded him with a soft smile. “Just like us leaving the business.”

“Hm, yeah,” Kazuki agreed, before leaning over and pecking Rei’s lips. It still made him giddy that he could do that now. “I suppose it is,” he said cheekily and Rei’s lips turned upwards in a small smile.

Kazuki headed towards the kitchen to prepare a small snack tray for their chat. Rei hovered for a moment until finally Kazuki directed him to pull the rice crackers and some cookies out of the pantry, as he found the small plastic tray they sometimes used for Miri’s snacktime.

As Kazuki arranged everything on the tray, Rei pulled down some glasses and poured juice into them to accompany their snacks. 

Just as they finished their preparations and brought their snacks and juice over to the living area, Miri came back out.

“Just in time! We have snacks!” Kazuki said brightly as he set the tray down on the coffee table next to the juices Rei had just set down. She came over and looked curiously at the snacks, lighting up as she reached for some of the rice crackers. 

Kazuki took a seat on the couch, leaving enough room between himself and Rei for Miri to sit with them. She munched thoughtfully as Kazuki gestured for her to come over and sit with them. Miri watched them carefully as she continued to nibble on her snack and came over to sit with her papas. 

“What’s going on?” Miri asked as she sat down and looked over at Kazuki carefully. “Am I in trouble?” 

“No, of course not, sweetheart,” Kazuki said as gently as he could. She didn’t look reassured as she glanced over at Rei next, as if she wasn’t sure she trusted what Kazuki had to say. 

“Everything’s okay, Miri,” Rei added, hoping his reassurance would help ease her nerves. 

“Okay,” Miri muttered, looking back at Kazuki. “What is it?”

Kazuki took a deep breath and glanced at Rei one last time before gathering his words. 

“So you know how Rei-papa and I are good friends?” Kazuki started hesitantly. She nodded silently. “Well, you see—we’re—ah, well, things have, uh, changed a bit now,” Kazuki stumbled ungracefully through his words. Before he could continue, Miri interrupted him. 

“Y-You’re not friends anymore?” Miri asked, panic rising in her voice. 

“No! I-I mean, yes, of course we are!” Kazuki exclaimed, his voice beginning to mirror the anxiety in Miri’s voice. “I-It’s just that along with being friends, we’re a…a couple now…like the other mamas and papas of the kids at your daycare!” Kazuki clarified excitedly. 

She didn’t seem to react very much at that statement, her brow furrowing as she continued to look at Kazuki. At least, it didn’t seem as if she was confused, but the lack of reaction spurred Kazuki to elaborate.

“O-Or like…you know, at the end of your movies when princesses end up with their prince?” Kazuki offered instead. “Rei is like my prince. Or I’m his…or something…” Kazuki babbled nervously. Rei gave him a soft, reassuring smile.

“I…I know what that means, Kazuki-papa,” Miri said softly as she looked down at her hands fidgeting in her lap. Kazuki frowned down at her. She almost seemed…disappointed, and Kazuki felt his heart drop into his stomach.

“U-Uh,” Kazuki stammered, looking back up at Rei for help. 

“It’s something Kazuki-papa and I are very happy about,” Rei explained, trying to help ease the situation when she didn’t look up, smile, or offer them any kind of enthusiasm at the news. “We were excited to tell you.”

Instead, she hiccuped before taking a shuddering breath and let out an ear-splitting wail. 

“M-Miri!” Kazuki exclaimed, startled by the unexpected burst of emotions.

“No! Y-You can’t!” Miri shrieked through her sobs. “You just can’t!” 

“What do you mean we can’t?” Kazuki asked, looking imploringly at their daughter, who only continued to cry and shake her head. “Miri, w-why are you upset?” 

Rei seemed frozen in place, and Kazuki’s heart constricted even tighter, his anxiety skyrocketing as Miri refused to answer and leapt off the couch. She quickly stomped off to her room, bawling as she went. 

They were left in stunned silence for a moment as the door to Miri’s room slammed shut and they heard the muffled cries of their daughter.

“What…What did we do wrong?” Kazuki finally asked weakly, looking at Rei in absolute horror. Rei was only able to shake his head in shock, his mouth opening, but no words coming out. 

“I don’t think we could have done it any differently,” Rei croaked, consoling Kazuki, but looked just as shaken. 

“I just…I don’t understand why she could possibly be that upset by this,” Kazuki muttered, running a hand through his golden hair in befuddlement.

“We should, ah…we’ll let her cool down a bit and maybe later once she’s calmed down a bit…” Rei suggested. “Maybe she’ll tell us why it’s so upsetting to her and…and then we can figure out what to do.”

Kazuki let out a ragged sigh.

“Of all the possible reactions, I just didn’t think we’d get a response like that,” Kazuki admitted. “I…I didn’t even get to tell her about our French toast dinner,” he pouted.

“It’ll be okay,” Rei said softly as he scooted closer to Kazuki and gently rubbed his back. “I hope,” he added meekly as he leaned over and pressed his forehead against Kazuki’s shoulder. 

“Sh-She’s been through so much, and I’m just…really surprised that this is what has upset her the most,” Kazuki sighed as he turned his body towards Rei, slightly shifting the other man as he reached his arm around to pull Rei closer. 

“So far,” Rei added weakly, sliding his forehead off of Kazuki’s shoulder and resting his head in the crook of Kazuki’s shoulder, his hand coming to rest on Kazuki's thigh. 

The weight of Rei’s words belatedly sank in. They had yet to reveal the truth of what had happened to Miri’s mother just yet. If this conversation was anything to go by, that was going to be even worse…Kazuki hoped that one didn’t have to take place for a little while yet.

“Yeah…” Kazuki muttered softly as Rei gently began to rub Kazuki’s thigh, soothingly.

“Maybe we have been blind to how everything has been affecting her,” Rei mused aloud.

“I hope we haven’t been that blind,” Kazuki groaned. 

Rei hummed softly.

“In the meantime, do we want to get started on dinner for tonight? I could use some help, you know,” Kazuki said, tempting Rei to join him in the kitchen.  

x

The two of them worked on putting away the snacks they had diligently prepared for another time. They pulled out the ingredients they needed for French toast and began to prepare their dinner. 

They took their time and didn’t feel the need to rush, wanting to give Miri as much time as she needed to cool off. 

Once it was all ready and plated up, they decided that only one of them should take the plate to Miri in her bedroom instead of trying to tempt her to the dining table. This way, she could eat in her own space while she continued to process the news. 

Kazuki volunteered, as he was also determined to coax more of an explanation out of her. He hoped that having just one of them talk to her one-on-one would get her to open up a little more.  

“Hey, Miri…” Kazuki called, balancing the tray of food with one hand and raising his hand to knock on her door. He was relieved that he no longer heard her crying behind the door. “Sweetheart, we made some dinner. Can I bring it in?” 

He heard a quiet grumble from her, and Kazuki took that as her consent. Slowly, he opened the door and let himself in. Miri was curled up on her bed, facing away from the door. 

“Are you hungry?” Kazuki asked, treading cautiously towards the bed. “Rei-papa and I made French toast, if you’d like.” 

Finally, she sat up, slowly turning to face Kazuki. He could see that her eyes were red and puffy, and her face was tear-streaked, and his heart broke all over again. 

He stepped forward and placed the tray on the end of the bed, within her reach, but she didn’t move to take it. Kazuki kneeled beside the bed so he’d be on her level. 

“I’m sorry that our news startled you so much today. We didn’t want you to be upset,” Kazuki started softly.

Miri didn’t say anything. She only gave Kazuki a sour look as she rubbed at her eye. Kazuki sighed.

“Would you be able to tell me why you got upset when Rei-papa and I told you we were a couple?” Kazuki asked gently. “I won’t be mad or anything, I promise.” 

She gave another shuddering sigh, and Kazuki pursed his lips and waited patiently while she found her voice. 

“Being in love is nothing like the princess movies,” Miri said hoarsely as she cast her gaze to the hands in her lap. 

Kazuki’s stomach churned. He had hoped that analogy would be the best to help explain their new relationship, but it seemed as if it had only served to upset her. 

“And why would you say that?” Kazuki asked delicately. He hoped he didn’t sound accusatory. He quickly added, “I just want to understand.”

“It just…it just makes people miserable! I don’t ever want to fall in love,” Miri huffed, looking away and rubbing at her eyes again. Kazuki felt a strange surge of relief at not having to chase off suitors as Miri got older. However, it was quickly followed by continued heartbreak to hear Miri say such things. 

Despite his resistance to Miri’s little schoolyard crushes—if they could even be called that—he still wanted her to enjoy the breadth of the human experience. Realistically, he knew that, eventually, it would include experiencing love outside their little family, whether platonic or romantic—as much as that meant letting go of their little girl.

Kazuki pulled himself out of that spiral as he struggled to make sense of her bizarre outburst. 

“Miri,” Kazuki sighed as he thought back, and an inkling of realization dawned on him. Kazuki recalled the conversation he’d had with Miri on Rei’s birthday last year as they prepared for his surprise party. “Is this…is this because of your mother? You told me once that she would get sad when she talked about the men in her life,” Kazuki offered softly. 

“Yeah,” Miri said as she continued wiping tears away from her eyes. “Mama was always so sad when she said she was in love. She smiled and said she was happy, but I could tell how sad she was.”

Kazuki bit the inside of his cheek and furrowed his brow with a sigh. He remembered thinking at the time how heavy a topic it was for a then-four-year-old to contend with. She talked as if she were wise well beyond her young age. 

“That’s…” Kazuki trailed off. He had no idea where to start. “That must have been tough. For you and for her.” 

Miri only nodded with a soft whimper. 

“A-And we never had any fun together either when she was in love. She never wanted to play with me,” Miri continued. “Sh-She always was going out when she wasn’t working, and if she wasn’t out, she was on the phone talking and being mad if I interrupted her…but I-I guess that being in love is important, isn’t it? I didn’t want to be mad at her, but…it was…lonely.”

“Oh, Miri,” Kazuki murmured. Ultimately, Kazuki knew that Misaki had been trying to be a good mother after reappearing in their lives. But before that—when she worked at the club—Kazuki could see how easy it was for Miri to end up neglected more often than not. His blood still boiled as he thought back to his first interaction with Misaki and how eager she had been to keep Miri out of her life.

“I don’t want you and Rei-papa to be like that,” Miri explained earnestly, pulling Kazuki out of his thoughts again. “I-If you’re in love, you’re going to pretend to be happy when you’re sad and you won’t have time to play with me!” Miri’s voice bubbled into sobs again. 

“Oh, my sweet girl,” Kazuki muttered quietly as he got up from where he had knelt and shifted to sit on the bed. He gently coaxed the weeping girl into his arms. She relented and fell into Kazuki’s embrace, sobbing into his chest. He softly stroked her hair and let her get the tears out of her system. 

He finally grasped that she had every right to be upset about their new development, and Kazuki couldn’t believe he hadn’t considered something so crucial from their daughter’s history. Kazuki was devastated to realize that Miri had been so profoundly affected by her past experiences witnessing "love."

As her sobs slowed down and she was left with hiccuping sighs, she hesitantly pulled out of Kazuki’s grasp. 

“I-I just want you and Rei-papa to keep being best friends so we can keep having fun together,” Miri continued in a hoarse voice, refusing to meet Kazuki’s gaze. 

“Miri,” Kazuki sighed, reaching out to slowly tuck the errant strands of hair sticking to her face back behind her ears. “Rei and I are still best friends,” he promised, gently thumbing away one of the tears tracking down her face. “Things will be a little different, but not that different. Romantic relationships can also be based on really good friendships…and I’m not sure, but I don’t think your mother was very good friends with the men she fell in love with.” 

“Why did she love them, then?” Miri challenged him, puffing out her cheeks.

“I’m sure it was just messy, complicated, grown-up stuff,” Kazuki replied brusquely before he had to try to explain anything further. “Rei-papa and I have known each other for a long time. Which means it’s easier for us to navigate being in love. Your mother…she had lots of hurdles when she tried to make her relationships work. Rei-papa and I don’t have those same hurdles, okay?”

Miri looked at Kazuki skeptically. 

“I know that things may not always be like the movies, but generally, people are very happy when they’re in love. Your mother was…a special case. The exception, not the rule, right?” Kazuki assured her.

Miri chewed the inside of her cheek as she tried to parse Kazuki’s words. He sighed, realizing his vocabulary and phrasing might have gotten too complicated for her.

“I promise you that Rei-papa and I being a couple won’t change much. We’re still friends, and we definitely won’t skip out on playtime. Love is important, but that also means our love as a family, right? So I promise that we’ll still have fun as a family, and we both love you just as much as we always have. Nothing will ever change that,” Kazuki continued. “That’s a promise from Kazuki-papa to you.” 

“O-Okay,” Miri hesitantly agreed. 

“I know it’s hard to promise things like that and not have anything to prove it, but just wait and see, okay?” Kazuki said before extending his pinky. The gesture was one she usually did with Rei, but Kazuki felt maybe he could borrow it for now. 

She glanced at his pinky and a small smile tugged at her lips. She reached out and hooked her pinky with his, gently shaking it once before letting go, clearly not in the mood for the whole ritual. 

“Now, why don’t you go ahead and eat up?” Kazuki suggested as he pushed the tray a little closer to her.

Miri tucked her legs underneath her as she reached for the tray. 

“Am I really allowed to eat in bed?” Miri asked, eying the sticky syrup, before looking up at Kazuki.

“Try not to get too messy, but I’m granting you special permission for tonight. If we need to wash the sheets later, we can. No big deal,” Kazuki said. “But, if you’d rather come out and eat with Rei-papa and me, you can.” 

Miri shook her head as she reached for the French toast on the plate. 

“Okay,” Kazuki sighed with a nod. “I’m going to head back to eat with Rei-papa, but after dinner, if you’re feeling up to it, we can watch a movie together.”

“Mm, what are we gonna watch tonight?” Miri asked as she took a bite. 

“Whatever you want,” Kazuki said. “But no pressure. Like I said, we don’t have to have movie night tonight if you’re not up to it. Okay?” Kazuki assured her, leaning over and placing a kiss on her forehead, and getting up to leave the room. “I love you,” Kazuki said. 

“I love you too, Kazuki-papa,” Miri replied through a mouthful of food. Kazuki didn’t have it in his heart to chastise her for poor manners as he left the room.

Once he was outside, he closed the door behind him softly and sighed. He briefly closed his eyes as he tried to rein in his emotions. There was a burden that felt as if it had been lifted, but it was replaced by a sadness that had sprung from understanding a little more about Miri’s life before them. 

He quietly returned to the living room and dining area, where Rei was sitting and waiting for him. Most of the food on his plate was already gone, and Kazuki went to fix his plate. 

“Is Miri okay?” Rei asked softly, watching Kazuki.

“Yeah, I…I think so,” Kazuki replied with a sigh.

“Are you okay?” Rei asked, noticing his rattled demeanor.

“I…yeah,” Kazuki muttered a reply.

Rei patiently waited while Kazuki finished preparing his food and finally took his seat at the table. Kazuki stared at his plate for a moment, willing his appetite to rear its head. 

“Did she say anything about why…?”

“She…she said she was upset because she thinks that people who are in love are miserable. She’s worried that we won’t be friends anymore if we’re a couple,” Kazuki finally explained, frowning down at his plate. 

Rei’s mouth opened slightly in surprise, but no words came out. He simply sighed and took another sip of his beer as he gathered his thoughts. 

“Why…why would she think that?” Rei asked quietly as he fidgeted with the beer can in his hands.

“It has to do with her mother,” Kazuki explained, finally picking up the fork and starting to cut the French toast up. “She said her mother was always miserable when she was in love,” Kazuki continued. 

“Oh,” Rei sighed as the implications dawned on him. 

“She also said she never got as much play time with her mother when she was in a relationship,” Kazuki continued, after swallowing his first bite. “She thought if we’re together now, that we won’t have much time for playing with her or having fun as a family.” 

Rei didn’t say anything, but Kazuki looked up to see the pained expression on his face. 

“R-Really?” Rei finally asked in an impossibly small voice.

“That’s the only up-close and personal experience she’s had with people who are in love in real life,” Kazuki explained. “It…I-I suppose it makes sense why she would be upset.” 

“Yeah,” Rei agreed quietly, taking another sip of beer. “We’ll just have to show her that people can be happy when they’re in love,” he said simply, fixing Kazuki with a small, reassuring smile. It warmed Kazuki’s heart to hear Rei so eager about their newfound relationship. “And that we can definitely still have fun as a family,” he added.

“Yeah, that’s…that’s essentially what I told her. I know it’s hard to say ‘trust us, we promise it’ll be okay,’ so it may still take some time for her to warm up to it all,” Kazuki continued. 

“So far, we haven’t broken our promises to her,” Rei reminded him. 

“Yeah,” Kazuki agreed. “I hope that counts for something.” 

Kazuki continued to eat the rest of his dinner while Rei picked up his plate to take it to the sink and rinse it off. When he came back around to take his seat at the table again, his hand slid across Kazuki’s shoulders. Kazuki leaned into the touch as he continued to eat. Rei sat across from Kazuki once more. He extended his hand across the surface of the table, so his fingers ghosted over Kazuki’s left hand, which was still resting next to his plate. 

Smiling softly, Kazuki curled his fingers a bit, hooking Rei’s fingers around his. 

They fell into silence, and Rei pulled his phone out to play on while Kazuki finished his meal. 

“Did she say if she wants to watch a movie with us tonight?” Rei asked, without looking up from his phone. 

“Mm, no, I just told her if she wanted to, we could, but she didn’t say one way or the other,” Kazuki said. Rei turned his gaze towards the hallway that led back to their bedrooms, as if that would give him any indication of whether or not she would join them that evening. 

“If it’s just us, do you want to start that anime we’ve been talking about?” Rei asked, his gaze returning to Kazuki.

“Yeah, we can. The one based on that game you played last year, right?” Kazuki asked, trying to remember their last conversation about things they wanted to watch together. Rei nodded. 

As Kazuki finished the last few bites on his plate, they heard one of the bedroom doors open, and Miri came down the hallway with the tray in her hands. Both Rei and Kazuki perked up.

“Movie night?” Rei asked her as she reached the kitchen, and she nodded in response. Rei stood up to follow Miri, pausing for a moment in front of Kazuki, reaching for his plate. “All done?” 

Kazuki nodded, and Rei took the plates to the kitchen, setting them down before reaching for Miri’s tray and plates to wash up. 

“What do you wanna watch tonight, girl?” Kazuki asked, stretching back in his seat at the dining room table.

“Can I look at the options?” Miri asked as she came out of the kitchen. Kazuki gladly nodded and headed over to the living area, turned on the TV, switched it over to the kids’ streaming profile and their current watch list, and handed the remote to Miri. 

As she clicked through the movies, Kazuki went and dug out a few blankets. Rei joined them once he was done in the kitchen, turning out some of the lights as he went. 

“What about this one?” Miri stopped on a title. Kazuki turned where he stood to look at the one she had chosen.

Recently, they had started working their way back through kids’ movies from twenty or thirty years ago—movies that were big when Kazuki and Rei were younger, but neither had seen growing up. 

“That looks like a good one,” Kazuki agreed with a smile. Miri turned back to the screen and her smile faltered.

“Do you think it has any princesses in love?” Miri asked hesitantly as she shifted her weight back and forth between her feet. Kazuki and Rei glanced at each other. Rei shrugged as he took a seat next to where Miri stood, and Kazuki turned his gaze back to Miri.

“Probably no princesses, since it looks like all the characters are lions,” Kazuki said to Miri. “Though maybe there’s a lion princess or something, judging by the title. Eh…well, anyway, I don’t know if there’s a love storyline, if that’s what you’re asking,” Kazuki said, turning back to glance at the artwork displayed on the screen. “Remember, Rei-papa and I haven’t seen these movies either. Would you rather watch a movie that you already know?” Kazuki asked, turning his gaze back towards their daughter as he took a seat on the couch.

“Maybe,” Miri said, chewing on her lip slightly, thinking it over. 

“Here, let’s go back to the watched ones, and we can see which one might strike your fancy tonight!” Kazuki offered brightly, reaching for the remote in Miri’s hands. Miri giggled as she handed it over and then went to sit on the couch between Kazuki and Rei.

But before she got comfortable, she quickly stood up again, turning towards her papas.

“You got ants in your pants?” Kazuki chuckled as he scrolled through the app to find the section of previously watched movies.

“Uh, does Kazu-papa wanna sit with Rei-papa? Which side should I sit on?” Miri asked nervously.

“Oh, Miri,” Kazuki sighed. “You don’t have to be that considerate of us,” Kazuki said, shaking his head.

“We want you to sit between us, like usual,” Rei assured her, patting the spot where she had just been. She glanced between them, almost as if she wasn’t sure if they were telling her the truth or not.

“Promise,” Kazuki assured her. “Now come sit and look through the movies we’ve already watched!”

Miri gave them a small, unsure smile as she retook her spot between them.

“Okay, now let’s see,” Kazuki hummed as he scrolled through the movie catalog of previously watched movies. This list included titles that were a little more recent. 

“Hmm,” Miri sighed as she watched the titles move across the screen.

“What about the dragon one?” Kazuki suggested, frowning at the titles scrolling by and trying to recall the plots of each one. “I suppose that still had a bit of a love storyline in it, huh?” he sighed, muttering to himself. “Or maybe the panda one?” 

“The panda one!” Miri decided, excitedly bouncing up and down.

“You know, we still have to watch the sequels,” Rei offered as he tucked up his legs underneath himself.

“Yeah, but we’re sticking to familiar territory tonight, right, Miri?” Kazuki asked, glancing over at Miri. 

“Yeah, yeah!” Miri agreed, her excitement returning to her voice. “The panda one! Put that one on!” she exclaimed as she stood up on the couch and began doing various fighting poses like the characters in the movie.

“Hey, hey,” Kazuki tutted in a warning tone. “Be careful, we can’t have our little kung-fu warrior falling and getting hurt,” he said teasingly as he reached up to steady her and pull her down to sit on the couch again.

Miri grumbled, but obeyed, sitting down on the couch once again before reaching for a blanket and curling up with Kazuki. Kazuki hit the play button as Miri reached out and pulled Rei closer. 

Rei scooted over until Miri was satisfied, and she spread the blanket over both of them like she usually did. Kazuki stretched his arm out across the back of the sofa. His hand landed right where Rei’s head sat, and his fingertips reached out to gently comb through Rei’s hair. 

Turning his head, Rei smirked and rolled his eyes at Kazuki, who then reached out and tickled the shell of Rei’s ear in response.

“Hey, Kazuki-papa?” Miri said as if she had just remembered something. Kazuki turned his attention away from teasing Rei and looked down at Miri. 

“What’s up?” Kazuki asked softly as the movie progressed through the opening sequence. 

“Does this mean you and Rei-papa are gonna kiss a lot now?” Miri muttered shyly with a grimace. Kazuki snorted and Rei smirked slightly to himself at Miri’s question. If Miri hadn’t been so unpredictable with her reactions that day, Kazuki would have been tempted to pull Rei into a quick kiss to respond. But to avoid upsetting her any further, he decided to reply with his words instead.

“Probably, but we promise we won’t embarrass you too much,” Kazuki promised.

Miri stuck her tongue out at Kazuki, who only chuckled at her reaction. 

“I promise, we’ll only kiss each other when strictly necessary,” Kazuki continued to tease, and he was pleased to see Rei’s smirk break into a smile as he laughed aloud.

Kazuki couldn’t help but feel his heart pound away in his chest at the sight. Miri giggled at Rei’s response before looking back at Kazuki with a delighted look on her face. Kazuki gave her a satisfied smile and a wink, earning another win in their little game to make Rei smile and laugh more.

“And what does strictly necessary mean?” Rei asked as he tried to school his face back into his usual deadpan look, but the corners of his mouth still curled upward. 

“Yeah, Kazuki-papa!” Miri adopted a serious look on her face to mimic Rei’s. 

“Oh, you’ll know,” Kazuki answered vaguely in a melodic voice. Rei reached around Miri and pinched Kazuki’s side, who yelped. “Hey, what was that for?” he demanded.

“Sorry, it was strictly necessary,” Rei replied dryly, and Miri cackled. 

x

Halfway through the movie, Miri began to get a little antsy again and crawled into Rei’s lap. Kazuki gladly filled the space Miri left as he cuddled up to Rei, resting his head on Rei’s shoulder and looping his hand around Rei’s arm.

Kazuki faintly remembered how the movie had gone and allowed himself to close his eyes for a bit as he listened to Miri babble excitedly about one of her favorite characters during a fight scene. Rei’s soft, gravelly voice replied occasionally as Miri continued.

Part of Kazuki hoped that Rei would want to join him in bed that night once the movie was finished. They had only shared a bed once that week—the night that they had revealed their feelings to one another. However, in the morning, Miri had nearly spotted Rei emerging from Kazuki’s room. Since then, neither of them had wanted to try sharing the room again, lest they have to explain the situation spontaneously.

But now, Miri knew, and everything was out in the open, so surely it would be okay to ask him, wouldn’t it?

“Kazuki-papa, are you asleep?” Miri asked, interrupting Kazuki’s thoughts as he felt a fingertip press against his nose.

“No,” Kazuki answered quickly as he opened his eyes to see Miri leaning over and peering at him, her hand hovering over his nose. “Just resting my eyes, I promise.”

“Papa!” she cried in frustration. He reached up and grabbed hold of the hand that had poked him.

“I’m awake, I’m awake,” Kazuki defended himself as he pulled himself upright, letting go of Miri, but tucked himself a little closer to Rei as he pulled his legs up underneath himself.

“You’re going to miss the final act,” Rei hummed, adding his voice to their daughter’s frustration.

“I said I’m awake,” Kazuki grumbled, settling in for the final bit of the movie. “Besides, we’ve already watched this one. I know how it ends.” He reached out and mussed Miri’s hair, resting his chin on Rei’s shoulder.

“Kazuki-papa!” Miri groaned, puffing out her cheeks.

“C’mon, just watch the movie. I promise I’m awake and watching too, okay?” Kazuki pleaded with her.

Luckily, after that, Miri was so engrossed in the movie that she stayed quiet and focused for the rest of it, but Kazuki also wondered if it was because she was becoming sleepy too.

x

Kazuki’s hypothesis was proven true. As the movie credits began to play, he glanced over to see Miri asleep, curled up against Rei’s chest.

“Heh, look who ended up sleeping through the final fight,” Kazuki chuckled as he reached out and gently stroked Miri’s hair. Rei hummed, tucking his chin in to press a kiss to the top of her head, and Kazuki smiled softly, filled with affection for his family.

“Miri,” Rei said as he gently roused her. “It’s bedtime.”

“Shh, you don’t have to wake her up,” Kazuki quickly said. “Let’s just take her to bed.”

“I don’t think I can,” Rei admitted sheepishly, looking away. Kazuki realized that his arm, still fresh from using the sling, probably wouldn’t be able to support her enough to carry her back to her room. “Sorry,” he said in barely over a whisper.

“Ah, don’t apologize,” Kazuki sighed, leaning forward and pressing his lips to Rei’s briefly. “I’m sorry, I’m awful. I keep forgetting that your arm is still healing, even though you’re out of the sling.”

“It’s okay,” Rei assured him in a whisper. “It’s just aching quite a bit tonight. I think I kept it in one position holding Miri for too long.”

“You should have said something. I could have pulled her into my lap if you needed,” Kazuki offered with a slight pout.

“No, it’s okay,” Rei assured him. “I like when she sits in my lap. Her weight feels….nice.”

Kazuki smiled again, thinking about how much he loved his family. Leaning forward, he captured Rei’s lips with his own once again. Rei was still a little awkward with kissing, but he tilted his head slightly and parted his lips to invite Kazuki to deepen the kiss a little further.

“Mm, papas, you’re being gross,” Miri groused. Kazuki and Rei quickly pulled apart as she woke up slightly and sat up in Rei’s lap.

“Sorry,” Rei apologized softly. “Are you ready to go to bed?”

“Yeah,” Miri said, rubbing her eyes slightly. “Will you take me to bed, Rei-papa?”

“Sorry, Miri, I don’t think I can lift you,” Rei told her, shame coating his voice. Kazuki reached out and mussed both Rei and Miri’s hair. Before he could offer to pick her up for Rei, Miri squirmed out of Rei’s grasp.

“S’okay,” Miri said, sliding off the sofa cushion. “As long as you still tuck me in,” she said, smiling sleepily and reaching for Rei’s hand to pull him along.

Rei glanced over his shoulder back at Kazuki, who was smiling softly after them.

“I’ll be back out in a moment,” Rei promised before following along behind Miri back to her room.

“And I’ll be here,” Kazuki assured him in a sing-song tone as he waved at his partner and daughter.

Rei followed her into her bedroom as she hummed some of the music from the credits of the movie. Miri moved around her room, collecting the plushies that had fallen off the bed earlier. Rei sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Miri to climb under the covers.

“I’m glad we got to have a movie night tonight,” Rei said as he watched her work.

Once there were at least five stuffed animals on the bed, she went and turned on her nightlight.

“Yeah!” Miri agreed, and then she went to tuck her plushies under the covers and climb onto the bed herself.

Rei helped shift some of the plushies so she could fit beside them. He debated whether or not he should bring up the evening’s earlier turbulence. He wanted to make sure Miri was feeling all right after it all. Kazuki had gotten a chance to speak with her one-on-one, which he was better at anyway, but Rei wanted to make sure he did his part in assuring her that nothing would change.

“Hey, Miri,” Rei started quietly, pulling her bedding up a bit as she got settled.

“What is it, papa?” Miri asked sleepily, pulling one of her favorite plushies closer and looking up at him as she cuddled into bed.

“How are you feeling after tonight?” Rei asked, anxiously fiddling with his fingers in his lap. “With Kazuki-papa and me being a couple?” he specified.

“Mm, it’s okay, I guess,” she said as she yawned. “Kazu-papa promised you’re still gonna be friends and that you have to play with me still. We did a pinky swear.”

“That’s right,” Rei agreed. “I’m…I’m sorry you had to go through all of that with your mother.” Rei didn’t specify what "all of that" meant, but he hoped that Miri understood after her conversation with Kazuki earlier that evening. “But Kazuki-papa and I are still committed to raising you the best we can. We never want you to feel the way you did with your mother and her relationships, okay?” Rei promised as he finally reached out and gently ran his fingers through her hair.

“Okay,” she sighed simply in response, peering up at Rei through drooping eyelids. “You gotta pinky promise too, okay?” Miri said, slowly extending her hand out to Rei.

Rei smiled and happily linked his pinky with hers.

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” he recited softly. She gave him a satisfied smile.

“G’night, Rei-papa,” Miri murmured, her eyes fluttering closed.

“Good night,” Rei said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her temple. Miri burrowed into the blankets even further with a smile on her face. Rei smiled down at her, relief sweeping through him.

He got up and crossed the room to turn off the lights. The warm glow of the nightlight was the only light left illuminating Miri’s room, and he closed the door behind him.

Rei was surprised to see Kazuki waiting in the hallway, leaning up against the door frame to his bedroom.

“Everything good?” Kazuki asked quietly.

Rei simply nodded as he drifted across the hall and closer to Kazuki.

“Good, I’m glad,” Kazuki said, reaching out and hooking his fingers with Rei’s. “Are you going to do any gaming tonight or…?” Kazuki asked.

Rei thought about it, but he shook his head.

“Tired,” he murmured in response.

“Mm,” Kazuki hummed. “Yeah, me too.”

They hovered silently in the hallway for a moment before Kazuki finally spoke up again.

“So…will you come and sleep in my room tonight?” Kazuki asked softly. 

Rei nodded, finally folding himself into Kazuki’s arms, and Kazuki gently guided them backwards into his room.

“Wait, I should go get changed,” Rei protested softly, but made no move to escape Kazuki’s grasp.

“Just use something of mine,” Kazuki offered as he pulled away and nudged his door shut with his foot. He made his way over to his dresser. “Just some sleep pants? Maybe a fresh t-shirt as well,” Kazuki said, tossing it Rei’s way. Rei caught them and placed them on the foot of the bed before unceremoniously tugging off the clothes he wore that day. Kazuki chuckled and dug through the dresser for a fresh change for himself.

Rei then went for the bed and stretched out as Kazuki quickly changed into his own sleep clothes. He closed the dresser drawer behind him and shut off the overhead light before joining Rei on the bed. The lamp on the bedside table was the only remaining light source, casting a dim, warm glow throughout the room.

“Hey, before you fall asleep…c’mere,” Kazuki said, scooting closer to Rei. He gently reached for Rei’s injured arm as Rei slowly sat up and tilted his body towards Kazuki. Kazuki slowly began to massage Rei’s forearm and worked his way up the arm. Kazuki carefully rolled up the sleeve of his t-shirt and continued rubbing Rei’s upper arm. Rei winced as Kazuki got closer to the scar tissue. “Ooh, sorry,” Kazuki murmured, bringing his lips to press against the bumpy scar.

Rei flushed brightly at the sight and feeling of Kazuki’s lips on his upper arm.

Kazuki pulled away briefly and gently rubbed his hand up and down Rei’s arm. He let go of Rei’s arm before leaning back towards his bedside table and taking out a small tub of cream.

“I had nearly forgotten—when I was out shopping the other day, I saw this cream advertised to help muscle aches. I thought maybe it would be good for your arm,” Kazuki said, unscrewing the lid. Rei watched him carefully as Kazuki dipped his fingers into the cream and began to smear it over Rei’s freshly healed wound.

Rei let his eyes flutter shut as Kazuki worked the cool-feeling cream over Rei’s arm.

“Would you like any painkillers before we sleep?” Kazuki offered as he continued rubbing the cream over Rei’s arm.

Rei shook his head. He had practically lived on painkillers for the first month of the new year, and now that things were a little more manageable, he wanted to wean himself from being too dependent on the stuff. They had only been mild painkillers, but Rei felt as if they were still coursing through his bloodstream.

“You sure? You haven’t taken much recently,” Kazuki said, as if specifically addressing Rei’s unspoken thoughts. “You could probably afford to take a little, especially with how sore you are tonight,” Kazuki told him.

“It’s okay,” Rei assured him. “That cream is pretty good, actually,” he said in hopes of distracting Kazuki. But he meant it; the achiness of the wound had already subsided a bit. Perhaps between the massage and the cream, it had subdued the pain.

“Good,” Kazuki hummed, satisfied as he turned and placed the cream back on his bedside table. He took Rei’s arm back in his grasp and gently ran his hand up and down the other man’s arm soothingly. “Maybe we’ll have to plan a hot springs trip soon—or at least a public bath. It might be good for you to soak,” Kazuki suggested.

“That would be hard to do with Miri,” Rei replied despondently, thinking of the segregated bathing areas and the problems that they may pose.

“Huh, true,” Kazuki sighed. “Maybe we’ll find a way to go just the two of us,” he proposed.

Rei felt himself grow warm and his stomach churn pleasantly, thinking of a quiet weekend alone with Kazuki at a hot springs resort.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Rei sighed. He wondered if there was anyone they could leave Miri with for the whole weekend. Surely, Kyuu wouldn’t be up for taking her for the entire weekend, would he? Regardless, Rei supposed that was a problem they could solve later.

Kazuki hummed before turning to shut off the bedside table lamp.

“Ready for bed?” Kazuki asked, pulling the covers down so they could crawl under. As they both got situated, Kazuki hesitated. They had both gravitated towards their respective sides, as that was the arrangement they had chosen when Miri first demanded that they share Kazuki’s bed. But after tending to Rei’s injured arm, Kazuki had the injury at the forefront of his mind.

“Rei, do you want to swap sides?” Kazuki asked, uncertainly.

“Huh?” Rei frowned at his partner.

“Your arm,” Kazuki clarified. “Would it be easier for you to sleep with it on the outside?” Kazuki asked. “I just don’t want to accidentally bump it or hurt you in the middle of the night if your injured arm is on my side.”

Rei considered Kazuki’s words carefully. He was sure that Kazuki probably wouldn’t be able to hurt him that badly. But it was probably good to take precautions.

“Yeah, okay,” Rei agreed. “If you’re okay with that.”

In response, Kazuki rolled out of bed, his feet swinging to the floor as he got up. Rei scooted over to occupy the space Kazuki was previously in, and Kazuki came around the bed and crawled back into bed beside Rei.

Fluffing his pillow slightly, he pulled it closer to Rei’s side and lay down, reaching out to keep his hand on Rei’s hip as the other man got situated.

“Comfortable?” Kazuki asked, watching Rei through half-lidded eyes.

Rei hummed in response, laying his head next to Kazuki’s. Rei’s tired eyes met Kazuki’s as he reached out with his injured arm and softly caressed Kazuki’s cheek. His thumb gently rubbed over the other man’s cheekbone a few times before his fingers were tucking Kazuki’s golden hair back behind his ear so it didn’t fall in his face so much.

“This might be dangerous, sharing a bed,” Kazuki mumbled softly, and Rei frowned in confusion before Kazuki continued. “Are either of us going to get any sleep like this, or are we just going to lie here looking at each other the rest of the night?”

Rei felt his cheeks, neck, and ears flush at Kazuki’s words. He was embarrassed, feeling as if he had been caught, but the same could be said about Kazuki staring at Rei.

Last time that they had shared a bed, the two of them had also stared at each other. Neither of them was able to believe that evening’s turn of events, feeling as if they closed their eyes, the other would disappear.

In response, Rei propped himself up on his good arm and leaned over to press his lips to the center of Kazuki’s forehead before curling up and tucking his face in the crook of Kazuki’s neck. Kazuki adjusted his positioning a bit so Rei could rest his head on his shoulder and Rei slung his injured arm across Kazuki’s chest.

“I could get used to it,” Rei said in a whisper. “Falling asleep like this every night.”

“Good,” Kazuki sighed deeply as he let his eyes flutter closed. “Me too.”