Work Text:
Riiiinnnggg….riiinnnggg…..riiiinnnggg
“Hello?”
“Hey love.”
“Chibi? Hey babe. Is everything okay? I thought you’d be headed for the airport right now.” Dazai’s voice was concerned. It was unusual to hear from his husband on travel days, at least until he’d landed. There was always too much going on for him to think about his phone.
“Yeah, about that… I’m going to be stuck here an extra couple of days,” Chuuya said flatly.
Dazai knew that tone. It usually meant somebody had fucked up majorly somewhere. His heart sank. “Nani? What happened? I mean, your agent told them you had to be out by today, didn’t he?”
“He did. You can blame the weather for this one. There’s a major blizzard headed in, and they’ve grounded everything after noon. And the earlier flights are all packed. Even the charter companies aren’t taking new bookings.” A note of anger leaked into his voice as he spoke. “The client thinks it’s great. They want to do another photo shoot tomorrow with the snow. Fucking diva designers. I told Oda if they want me, I’m charging triple. I could’ve been out of here yesterday if their damn photographer had half a brain.”
“The boys are going to be devastated. They’ve been looking forward to this week.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Chuuya flopped down on the bed and sighed. “Sorry, that was a bit harsh. Take them anyway. The room’s been booked for ages, everything’s paid for, and there’s no reason for them to miss Disney at Christmas just because I’m stuck in New York. I know Sushi’s been looking forward to the character lunch on Tuesday too. Make sure you guys get there on time, okay?”
“I will. Want me to call when the boys get up? They’re going to want to talk to you. Ryu’s missed your lullabies this week.”
“Yeah.” Chuuya calculated time zones in his head- second nature now, after all the time he’d spent traveling. “I’m not going anywhere today. They’re calling for almost a meter of snow. Thank god the hotel’s restaurant is decent. Wish you guys were here, though. I miss you.”
“We miss you too, Chibikko. I’ll call you as soon as the boys are coherent in the morning. I love you.”
Chuuya smiled at that. It always took their sons a while to wake up completely. It was a huge change from when they’d first started living with them- they’d both been nervous sleepers, a survival trait left over from their previous home lives. It had taken both the boys weeks to realize they were safe enough to sleep deeply, but once they had… “I love you too, Osamu. I’ll talk to you guys later. Goodnight.”
“Have a good day, love. Stay safe.”
The redhead hung up the phone and sighed. He looked around the suite, missing his family more than ever. That’s it. No more overseas jobs for a while. Three in two months is more than enough. At least with this paycheck, I shouldn’t have to work much until after Sushi’s birthday.
He sighed again, then got up and tossed on clothes. If he was going to be stuck here, he might as well get some breakfast.
******
“Good morning Daddy!” The two boys on his screen spoke in chorus, and Chuuya grinned.
“Hey kiddos. Did you guys sleep well?”
“Uh-huh,” Atsushi said. “We miss your singing though. Are you gonna be home soon?”
“As soon as I can,” Chuuya said. “There’s a lot of snow here, and the planes can’t take off.” He opened the balcony door a few inches and panned the camera to the street, showing the flakes coming down. The blizzard was still going on, and he closed the door after a few seconds. “It’s going to be at least two days before I can get a flight out of here. This isn’t supposed to stop until tomorrow.”
“Wow. That’s a lot of snow,” Ryu said, his gray eyes wide. “You’re not going out in that, are you?”
The redhead laughed. “No, I’m not. The hotel has a very nice restaurant, so I don’t have to go anywhere for food. And I got you guys presents a couple of days ago. I might have another shoot tomorrow, though. It depends on what the weather does. But I should be able to get out of here the day after, if Uncle Oda can book me a flight, okay? And you guys are still going to Disney tomorrow night. I’ll join you when I can.”
“Okay.” Atsushi sounded a bit dejected. He looked up as Dazai said something off-screen, and nodded. “Dad-zai says we have to go and get ready. We’re going to Auntie Kouyou’s today cause he got called in for a case cause Uncle Ranpo’s in Hokkaido with his boyfriend. Love you Daddy! Miss you!”
“Miss you Daddy! Come home soon!” Ryu added.
“Miss you too. And love you both. Have fun with Kouyou and Kyouka,” Chuuya said, a slight hitch in his voice. “Give the phone back to Dad-zai, okay?”
Ryu nodded and walked into the living room. “Here he is. Love you Daddy,” he said as he handed the phone over.
“Hey Chibi.”
“Hey love. What’s the case about?”
Dazai frowned. “They fished a body out of the river this morning. No ID, and facial recognition came up with nothing, which means they’re probably a tourist. The cops are short-staffed right now, so they called us. And since Ranpo’s not due back until tomorrow…”
“You got called in. Alright. Be safe out there, okay?”
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
*******
>Chuuya. I have news<
The message tone startled Chuuya. He’d been staring out the window at the snow, not really thinking about anything except how much he missed home. He grabbed the phone. Oda flashed on the screen, and he unlocked it to read the message.
>Good news, I hope.<
>Yeah. I may have a way to get you started home tomorrow.<
>You have my full attention.<
>Ok. One of the execs has a private jet. He’s headed back to LA soon as the runways are clear.<
>Deal is, if you agree to a 3hr shoot- indoors- at normal rates tomorrow morning, and a four day walk at Milan, he’ll give you a ride and loan you the plane the rest of the way. Apparently his wife’s in Shanghai anyway, so it’s not a stretch to drop you home.<
The redhead stared at the screen, a grin stretching across his face. Even with the detour, a private jet would be much faster than flying commercial, and a hell of a lot more comfortable. If he had the plane to himself, he could sleep most of the way between LA and Tokyo, then head straight the hotel to meet his family. He hated doing fashion weeks normally- most runway models were nearly a foot taller than he was, and it was always awkward- but he’d seen the spring lineup and it suited him much better than most of his colleagues. Besides, Milan was always fun, and the pay would hold them an extra couple of months.
>Alright. Set it up. Haneda airport. Last overseas until summer vacation though.<
>And don’t tell Dazai. I want to surprise him and the kids.<
>Noted. I’ll text you once the shoot time’s set.<
>K. Thx Oda<
>Np<
******
Chuuya grinned as he entered the hotel room. It had been an extremely long flight, but at least there hadn’t been any last-minute issues, and they’d actually made much better time than he’d hoped. It hadn’t hurt that the shoot had been cut an hour short when the idiot photographer’s camera decided to stop working. He and the exec had been in the air by noon. Customs had also gone surprisingly quickly, and he’d collected his luggage and been in a taxi less than 30 minutes after getting off the plane.
Dazai said they might stay for the fireworks. In that case, I have a couple of hours, maybe longer, before they get back. Plenty of time for food and a shower. Note to self: thank Oda again for setting that up. The extra speed on that jet cut a few hours off the trip, and the exec was nice enough to treat me to dinner at the airport while they refueled.
The redhead was busy putting his clothes away and ordering room service as he contemplated, thankful for the laundry service in his New York hotel. Having to stop home for fresh clothes would’ve added hours to the trip.
An hour later, fed, showered, and horribly jet-lagged, he curled up on the alcove bed (for once happy for his short stature), and fell asleep.
Dazai fumbled one-handed with the room key, the other arm occupied with a sleeping Atsushi. Ryu wasn’t much better off- they’d had a full day at the park, riding rides, window shopping, and watching the fireworks. By the time they’d gotten on the shuttle back to the hotel, both boys were practically asleep, and Atsushi had passed out by the time they’d gotten back. The clerk at the desk had given them a huge grin as they passed by. He wondered why, but was too tired to really think about it.
He finally got the door open and ushered Ryu inside. It wasn’t until he was pulling off Atsushi’s shoes that he noticed the familiar pair set neatly in the entrance, and the hat and coat hanging from the rack. His eyes went wide, and he motioned Ryu to be very quiet. The dark-haired boy nodded, and Dazai carefully laid Atsushi down on his bed, then turned around to search the room.
It took him a moment in the dim light, but he finally located his slumbering husband, and a smile lit his face. The smaller man looked almost ethereal as he slept, still-damp locks curling over his shoulder, pale complexion reflecting the moonlight streaming in through the window. He bent down and whispered in Ryu’s ear, and the boy nodded, then went and shook his brother awake, shushing him as he awoke. He whispered to Atsushi, and the younger boy grinned as he saw their father. He climbed off the bed, and the two went to stand to one side of the alcove.
Dazai smiled at the boys, then sat at the edge of the bed and leaned over, brushing a lock of hair aside before kissing the sleeping redhead softly on the cheek. The other man stirred, then blue eyes blinked open.
“Dazai?” he said, sleepily. "I'm home."
“Hello, love,” the brunette replied. “Welcome home. Why didn’t you tell me you were back?”
“Wanted to surprise you,” Chuuya said, rolling over and sitting up. The boys took that as their cue to climb into his lap for hugs, and he smiled and wrapped an arm around each of them as he spoke. “One of the execs was sending his jet for his wife who’s in Shanghai at the moment, so he let me catch a ride. Only catch is I have to do a couple of days in Milan, but I don’t mind.” He yawned. “It was worth it to get home a day early. I wasn’t going to miss Christmas with you guys, not if I didn’t have to.”
He looked down at the children in his arms, and his eyes were soft as Atsushi tried to stifle a yawn. “Hey you two. How about we get you guys a quick bath and ready for bed? Grab your pjs and I’ll meet you in the bathroom in a minute.”
“Okay Daddy! Come on Sushi,” Ryu said. The two of them gave Chuuya a quick squeeze, then climbed off of him to gather their things.
The redhead smiled after them. Then he looked into his husband’s eyes, and his smile widened. “Come here you,” he said, leaning in for a long kiss. “Mmmm,” he hummed in appreciation. “I’ve missed you, love.”
“Missed you too. It’s been a long week.”
“Tell me about it,” Chuuya said a bit gruffly. “I don’t know who booked that idiot, but I’m never working with him again. But enough about that. Let’s go get the kids settled. I want to cuddle and kiss you until we both fall asleep.”
“I like that plan,” Dazai said softly. “I like it a lot.”
The kids were bathed, their teeth brushed, and they were currently lying in their beds, listening sleepily as Chuuya sang lullabies. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and Dazai thanked whatever gods were listening that his husband had made it home safe in time for the holiday. It was their second with the kids, their first as an actual family, and he never thought he’d ever be this happy. He smiled as Ryu’s eyes finally fluttered shut, Atsushi’s having closed long ago, and Chuuya finished his song.
The redhead rose, laying a gentle kiss on each of their sleeping children, and came over to wrap his arms around his husband.
“Let’s go to bed, love,” he said, his fatigue making him sway enough that he was glad for something to hold on to. “I’m going to be asleep in a minute.”
Dazai smiled down at the love of his life. “Okay.” He reached down and picked Chuuya up in a bridal carry, earning a surprised ‘eep’ from the shorter man, and carried him over to their bed. He laid the redhead down gently, then climbed onto his own side. True to his word, the redhead was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, and Dazai pulled him close, letting the other settle his embrace. He laid kisses on flaming hair, reveling in the contented sigh it drew from the other even in sleep. I love you so much, Chibi. Goodnight.
He slept, dreaming of an ethereal form bathed in moonlight and soft azure eyes.