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Over on the baby monitor, their newborn son was crying again. ‘Didn’t Akira just fed him?’ Ryuji thought, looking irritated from the lack of sleep. It’s been like this for the new parents since they brought Goro home: He cries, one or both of them handle his needs (hunger, attention, sleep, diaper change), calms down, then a few minutes or hours later, it repeats.
“Mmm, again?” a very drowsy voice said. That was Akira. She sighed and got up from the bed.
“Dude, no,” interrupted Ryuji. “Lemme handle this. Just get back to sleep. Prolly just needs attention.”
Akira grumbles and then lays back into bed. “If you need help, just…come…to me…” She already knocked herself out. Ryuji got up from bed and drowsily walked out of the bedroom and into the nursery.
---
Ryuji turned on the lights in the nursery so he can see where the hell he’s going. He walked up to his son’s crib and sees little Goro crying and squirming. The new father sighed in exhaustion and gently picked up Goro into his arms.
He sat down on the armchair, trying to calm his son down by rocking him slowly. “Shhshhshh, Daddy’s here, Goro,” he assures the newborn, touching his face. “I’m right here, I’m right here…” Goro kept crying, but slowly he stopped and started to feel sleepy once more. Not before looking at his father with his dark innocent eyes.
Ryuji still couldn’t believe it: this small bundle of cute in his arms is his child, someone of his own flesh and blood. He and Akira made him, this peaceful little loaf. He once joked to Akira that Goro luckily got all his features from her and not him, he wouldn’t be as cute if he got his. She laughed, then said when he gets older, he’ll be handsome like his father. Ryuji said at the time he doubted it, but now, he could totally believe it.
Out of reminiscing, he noticed Goro went back to sleep, looking ever so peaceful. Ryuji got up, slowly so he doesn’t wake him by accident, and gently placed the baby back into his crib. He put a blanket over him to keep him warm and placed back his pacifier into his mouth. Ryuji sighed happily as he sees his son being quiet for now.
---
Before turning off the lights in the nursery, he noticed the time on the analog clock nearby: it was 3:30 in the morning. ‘Damn.’ Ryuji thought. But then he looked at the digital date attached to the clock: July 3rd, today was his own birthday. He, along with his wife, were so focused on the baby, they never had time to plan on what to do today, not even at least a small cake to celebrate.
Ryuji nearly forgot about his own birthday the whole time he was caring for Goro. But then he thought, maybe him thinking about his disbelief that this cute, little baby is his was, in a way, a gift to himself. Nah, that’s really stretching it. But his first birthday with his son is fact, though. And to Ryuji, that’s a good enough birthday present for him.