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The day he received the call, Matsuoka Rin had just been notified that he was in danger of his phone being shut off if he did not pay his bill by the end of the day. And on top of that, his landlord said he had a week to pay his rent or he would be kicked out. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that he just had his bike stolen. Yes, things were going absolutely great for Matsuoka Rin, indeed.
So, when he answered his phone, he sounded anything but hopeful.
“Yeah?”
There was a slight pause on the other end of the line, and Rin almost groaned. He didn’t have time for this.
“Ah, I’m sorry, is this Rin? Matsuoka Rin?”
The voice didn’t sound familiar, so Rin pulled his phone from his ear to look at the caller ID. It was an unknown number. It took a moment to realize what this call meant.
His eyes widened as soon as the realization hit. “Ah, yes! Yes, of course, this is Rin!”
There was a soft sound at the other end of the line – it sounded much like a light hearted chuckle. It made Rin’s face flush. Perhaps he was getting a little over-excited.
“Well, Rin, I was out walking with my daughter today and I couldn’t help but notice you had put up an advertisement for babysitting.” Rin’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he listened. This might be his chance! He didn’t say anything for now, but let the other continue.
“I hope you’re still available? I could really use the help considering it’s very difficult to take Riko over to day-care every day. My apartment is very far from the day-care, and my work is even further.” The man continued on, but Rin, of course, had already made his decision.
“Oh, yeah, I’m definitely still available!” He answered earnestly, a wide smile forming on his lips. “I can start as soon as you need me to!” He said, practically skipping down the sidewalk now.
There was that chuckle again, but this time, Rin didn’t mind it. “I hope it’s not too soon, but it would be greatly appreciated if you could come by tomorrow?”
Rin didn’t hesitate when he answered. “Of course not, that’s perfect! What’s your address?” He pulled out a piece of scrap paper from his backpack, along with a pencil, and stopped walking to be able to write the address down properly. Makoto recited the numbers of his apartment, along with the easiest route to get to the structure. Rin thanked him and put the paper away for now. Before hanging up, however, “Oh, by the way, what’s your name?”
The man on the other end sounded like he was smiling. “Tachibana Makoto. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” Rin agreed and hung up, jumping up and down with excitement. He couldn’t believe that things were actually going his way.
-
It was a bit difficult for Rin to get up that morning – Makoto had requested that he come around 6 in the morning since Makoto had to leave by seven. Makoto also noted that he could also make Rin breakfast along with his daughter, Riko. However, Rin typically woke up around noon every day, so waking up at 5 in the morning to be somewhere at 6 was unheard of for Rin. In fact, he didn’t manage to wake up until 6:30 that morning.
He awoke to his cell phone ringing, to which he jerked upward. He answered his phone quickly, his voice very drowsy. “Yes, hello?”
Makoto was on the other end of the phone. “Ah, Rin, I was starting to worry. I’ve called you a few times but you didn’t answer.”
Rin’s eyes scanned his room, before settling upon his clock. It was 6:30. He gasped and jerked out of his bed, rushing to his closet to get ready. “Oh my God, Makoto, I’m so sorry, I will over as soon as possible, I can’t believe I – ” He rambled on for a while longer as he jerked on his shirt, not quite noticing that Makoto was talking on the other end.
“Oh, no, don’t worry, Rin –” Makoto was trying to get Rin to calm down, to no avail. Rin was already ready to leave within five minutes. “I will be there in ten minutes, I promise!” And that was all he said before he hung up.
Rin was so diligent that he actually got to Makoto’s apartment in nine minutes. He knocked frantically on the others door, hoping that he didn’t screw up his chance at the job. It took a while for the door to open, and Rin was surprised to see a little girl answer the door rather than Makoto.
“Ah, are you the babysitter?” She asked, looking up at him. Rin nodded softly, and glanced inside the house. “Where’s your dad?” He asked, before he was being led inside the apartment by Riko.
“He’s in his bedroom! He should be out soon.” She said, padding over in the living room and resuming her breakfast. He slipped his shoes off and followed her, plopping down on the opposite side of the table, noticing there was another plate of food. “Ah, is this for me?” He asked, glancing down at the plate. It was a simple meal; two over-easy eggs and a piece of toast sat on the plate, while a glass of probably orange juice sat next to it.
Riko munched on her toast, before nodding. “Mhm!” He began to talk with her mouth full. “Daddy awready ate!” And then Rin was once again ignored as Riko ate in content silence.
Rin felt a bit awkward, considering he was late on his very first day, and yet Makoto was still considerate enough to make him breakfast. It was really sweet of him. Despite his feeling of guilt, he picked up the toast and nibbled on it, glancing around the apartment. It was rather sparse, but in a very comfortable way. It was as if there was just enough stuff in here to be happy with. Not too much, but not too little. In the living room was a lot of plush toys that ranged from huge cats to small little bears. He was going to assume those were Riko’s. In fact, a lot of the stuff in the living room seemed to be Riko’s; there wasn’t many things in terms of what a grown man would have. It was actually pretty endearing, to say the least.
Rin had finished his toast and was about to start on the eggs when he heard feet padding along the hallway. Riko immediately stood and walked towards the sound, before she reached her arms up as if asking to be picked up. Makoto was still obscured from Rin’s view due to the door, but he was Riko being lifted in to his arms and that’s when Makoto finally stepped out.
Rin just stared. Makoto was honestly the epitome of attractive. He was lean, anyone could tell even through his business suit, his hair was a bit disheveled but in a nice way, his eyes were a beautiful shade of green that Rin had never seen before. He also had a pair of thin glasses resting upon his nose that surprisingly fit him very well.
There was no way the man could be over thirty. (He found himself too perplexed to ask, however.)
Makoto walked over to the table, Riko still in his arms. He was smiling, and it was apparent to Rin that Makoto seemed to smile a lot, considering the subtle lines of his face. Rin blinked a few times, before he realized that he was staring and he jumped a bit, taking the time to finally look away from Makoto for a moment.
“I’m glad you made it.” Makoto started, setting Riko back down at her place at the table, brushing the hair from her forehead so he could plant a soft kiss there. He turned back to Rin, his smile ever-present as he continued. “I had no doubts that you would make it though.” He chuckled.
Rin turned back to Makoto, his cheeks flushed a bit. “I’m so sorry that I’m late, I don’t know what went wrong, I promised myself –” Makoto just waved his hand as if to dismiss Rin before speaking. “It’s nothing to worry about, Rin. You’re here now and that’s all that matters.” This time he smiled with his eyes closed, making the smile even more genuine. (If that were even possible.)
Rin was at a loss for words. His mouth hung open as unfinished words stopped midway. They stared at each other for a long moment before Rin sputtered, looking down. “Uh, yeah, well I won’t be late next time.” He said softly.
There was a soft humming noise, apparently from Makoto, and Rin once again looked up to see him pick up his suitcase, rummaging through it for a moment before shutting it once again. He walked to the front door, slipped his shoes on and turned to the two of them. “I’ll be back around four or five. Have a good day.” He chimed, opening the door and slipping out.
-
Now Rin was posed with a problem.
He really had no experience babysitting. He had never watched a kid in his life. (His sister didn’t really count.)
After multiple attempts of applying to local jobs to no avail, he figured he might as well put up some signs saying he was available for hire. He put up tons of flyers. Some for babysitting, some for pet sitting, some for house cleaning. Hell, he even put up one that said he was willing to be a house maid; where he would cook, clean, basically do everything.
He was very grateful that no one had called him for that position.
But now, he had to find some way to entertain Riko, and make her lunch, and… Rin was surely going to mess this all up.
As he sat there with his apprehensive thoughts, Riko had padded over to him and picked his empty plate up. She headed in to the kitchen and Rin couldn’t stop his eyebrow from arching up in curiosity. Riko set the plates down, grabbed a chair and pulled it over to the sink, then climbed atop it, then grabbed the plates and began washing them herself.
Rin blubbered to himself before he stood, walking over to where Riko continued her work. “Hey, you don’t need to do that. Here, lemme…” Rin reached his hands over to the sink, but Riko did not stop. Instead she turned her face to Rin, smiling. “It’s okay! I help daddy all the time, so this is no biggie!” She said, then added, “He really needs help sometimes, even if he won’t tell anyone.” She was now pouting a bit, and Rin just stared. He glanced around the kitchen before he spotted their empty glasses. He grabbed them, and set them in the sink alongside the plates. “Okay, you wash and I’ll dry. Does that sound good?” He asked, attempting to give Riko the same smile she had given him before. Riko nodded excitedly, her smile growing even wider.
-
They spent the rest of the day cleaning the apartment. It’s not like it really needed it, but Rin thought it would be a really nice way for Riko to get accustomed to Rin. They cleaned the living room first, dusting everything off and adjusting some of the furniture to make it seem roomier. Then they moved to the kitchen, where the swept and mopped the floor, and washed every surface off. The bathroom was next, and they spent the most time there. Not because of the cleaning, but because Riko had started to ask Rin a whole bunch of questions, like ‘do you have any brothers or sisters?’ or ‘what’s your favorite color?’, etc. Riko then asked if Rin would like to help her clean her room. She said her room was probably the messiest of them all. Rin could only imagine what a little girl’s room looked like; he almost cringed, thinking they would spend hours trying to clean the mess.
But to Rin’s surprise, Riko’s room was very, very clean. Rin was almost baffled as he turned to ask Riko a question. “Why do you think this is the messiest room?” He asked, kneeling before Riko, whose expression had turned very sad. It took her a moment to respond.
“Because this is where momma died.”
-
The rest of the day was spent in content silence. Rin didn’t want to impose by asking too many uncomfortable questions, so they cleaned and only talked occasionally. By the time they were done, it was around three. Rin had remembered that he hadn’t even fed Riko.
He turned from the T.V that they were both watching to look at Riko. “Are you hungry?” He asked softly, reading to get up to go make something simple.
Riko turned to him with a sort of apologetic smile. “Um, y-yes.” It was then that Rin actually heard her stomach growling. Rin jerked upward and frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, running to the kitchen and rummaging around. Riko followed him, intent on helping him cook. “Because you were being so quiet and I didn’t want to annoy you.” She said softly.
Rin turned to her, and exasperated smile on his face. “Riko, no matter what you asked me, you would never annoy me.” He reassured her, reaching his hand down to ruffle her dark brown hair. “So, what do you want to eat?”
Riko mood seemed to improve significantly after that.
-
Makoto didn’t end up returning until a little after five, but it wouldn’t have mattered because after Rin and Riko finished the dishes after lunch, they both fell asleep watching T.V.
Makoto opened the apartment door and walked inside, about to mutter ‘I’m home’, but stopped himself after he realized how quiet it was. He blinked and slipped his shoes off, walking in to the living room to see a sight he never thought he would ever see.
Rin’s head was propped up on his arm, which rested on the table. He was sound asleep, his other hand resting on Riko’s head, which was lying gently in Rin’s lap. They looked peaceful.
Makoto let himself chuckle a bit, before he walked over and turned the T.V off. He set his suitcase down, before plopping down on the floor opposite of the two, opening up a book and beginning to read.
-
Riko was the first to wake, and when she did, she sat up slowly and yawned gently, rubbing her eyes. She then reached her arm up to stretch, effectively whacking Rin in the face, which caused him to wake up afterward.
Rin jerked a little, completely caught off guard by the hit, and Riko immediately gasped and began apologizing. Rin muttered a bunch of ‘It’s okay’, but he was too tired to really remember what happened. He blinked a few times to adjust himself to the light, wondering how long he had been asleep. His eyes roamed the living room, before stopping upon a figure on the other side of the room. He blinked some more, before he realized it was Makoto. He tilted his head and then checked the clock. It was already eight!
Rin scrambled to his feet, gently knocking Riko on to the floor, who immediately crawled to her father’s side, clinging to his arm and trying to read whatever he was reading.
“Oh, man, Makoto, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to sleep so long! I should probably be going…” Rin looked around the floor of the living room to find his phone, before remembering it was in his pockets. “I’ll call a cab now and –”
Makoto interrupted him, slowly shutting his book (earning a whine from Riko) and setting it aside. “Please, Rin, stay for dinner.” That smile would be the death of Rin, honestly.
Rin stayed for an extra hour, enjoying the meal that Makoto (and Riko) made. He really wanted to ask questions about Riko’s mother, but figured it would be rather inappropriate to ask something like that while they were eating dinner.
So, instead, Rin waited until they had finished dinner and Makoto had put Riko to sleep.
Rin waited in the living room, leaning against the wall. Makoto came out a few moments later, and Rin stepped out from the living room to confront the man. “Hey, Makoto –”
“Really, Rin, there’s no reason to apologize for anything, I –”
This time it was Rin who interrupted Makoto. “No, that’s not why I’m here.” He paused, then sighed softly. “Would it be rude if I asked you a few questions about your wife?”
Makoto’s expression immediately faltered, and he looked to the side, rubbing his arm nervously. “I…I don’t mind.” He smiled, and it was a very, very sad smile that Rin told himself he never wanted to see again.
-
“Riko told me that she died in her room.” Rin started, feeling rather awkward.
They sat in the living room, a cup of hot tea in each of their hands. Makoto had taken off his glasses, saying he only needed them when things were far away.
It took a while for Makoto to respond, and when he did, his voice cracked a little. “Yes. It was completely unexpected.” He started. “I was at work, and Riko was at a friend’s house. My wife – ah, Akane – she stayed home to do some cleaning. We don’t really know what happened, but it was suspected that she died of a heart attack as she was cleaning Riko’s room.”
The room fell very silent after that. Rin didn’t know what to ask next. He wasn’t sure if he should mention what Riko said earlier about her room being messy or not. He really didn’t want to make things uncomfortable for anyone. And then he realized there was no altar. At least, not one that he had seen. “Ah, do you – do you have an altar for her?”
Makoto shook his head. “Ah, no. We wanted one, but the apartment is much too small so we had to go without it. I have a picture of her in my room, however. I pray for her every morning.” He smiled, his eyes growing a bit puffy.
Rin pursed his lips and nodded softly, looking away. “Hey, I’m sorry for being so intrusive. It’s not really my place to ask these kinds of questions.” He said softly, twiddling with his fingers in his lap.
Makoto quickly reached up to wipe his eyes, hoping Rin wouldn’t notice the gesture. “No, no, you’re fine.” He said, chuckling softly to himself.
Rn was sure that Makoto had just said that to placate him – but Rin was fine with that.
Rin slowly stood and walked over to Makoto, ruffling his hair softly before heading to the door. “It’s getting pretty late. I should head home.” He said, sitting down to put his shoes on. “Thank you for breakfast and dinner.” He said softly, failing to notice that Makoto had stood. “Should I come over tomorrow at the same time?” He asked, finally getting his shoes tied. He stood slowly, turning around to be able to see Makoto. He blinked in surprise when he realized that Makoto was standing right in front of him. “Ah, Makoto –”
His words were cut short as Makoto grabbed him and pulled him in to a very tight hug.
Neither of them said anything, they just stood there for a long while. Rin could feel Makoto trembling softly. His own arms reached up slowly to hug Makoto back, slowly rubbing his back.
“I miss her so much.” Makoto said softly, before pulling away.
Rin stared at Makoto for a very long time, and it was then that he made a promise to himself to never let Makoto be sad ever again.
-
Makoto had told Rin that he was sorry so many times that it was still ringing in his ears.
Rin had made plans with Makoto that he would be over ever Monday through Friday, and six am. Makoto also told Rin to never hesitate to come visit during the weekend.
Rin sighed as he plopped down on his bed, covering his face with his arms.
He couldn’t get Makoto off of his mind.
Or that smile.
He just wanted to be able to make Makoto infinitely happy for as long as he could.