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Yachiru scrutinizes her chicken and rice. Kenpachi usually makes a favorite thing whenever he has upsetting news or something he should feel sorry over. In all fairness, he hasn't done any ‘sorry’ thing since the time he accidentally decapitated a doll when trying to fix its tangled hair. Her chicken has even been sliced into ‘dinosaur’ shapes or what Kenny can manage as dinosaurs.
“You have something wrong,” she says, raising a mangled dinosaur. “Is the wrong making you icky in your heart or tummy?”
Kenpachi wipes up some stray rice. “I have an icky head because keeping things anywhere else has never worked. Someone came along, scattered emotion everywhere, picked up my brain and shook it.”
Someone: her preschool teacher and record-setting person for cool things, Hanataro. Everyone would agree with her, especially Kenny which is rare since he loves two people.
Well, he could love three whenever Yumichika deep cleans the apartment.
Dinosaur taste does not come with her chicken; a massive upset which she thinks her teacher could remedy.
“You should ask for help,” she says, taking another upsetting bite. “People always ask Mr. Hana or Mr. Juushiro for help. You don't have to have an icky anything either.”
Kenny chuckles, pulling his scarred face into a near smile but then he's serious again. “I don't want you learning through school. I don't care whether you have a secret unless someone is being hurt or is in danger. I’m dating Mister Hana.”
Her hand lands on his forehead, trying to force him upright. “Are you in danger, Kenny?”
Yeah, his ability to function as a human is in danger. Everything has been in danger ever since Hana settles on being a teacher.
“I have no problem, kid.” Kenpachi covers her hand with his. “Hanataro wants to keep school a neutral space where you can be happy and learn and make a friend. Anything that happens between us will remain here. You aren't going to be treated any differently.”
Really, he can’t imagine Hanataro being cruel no matter the circumstances but reassuring her takes precedence.
Yachiru's horror stories claimed he even loved those who bit and pinched.
Getting through her ‘mine’ phase had been hellacious enough. Tolerating some strange kid he could do unless biting or pinching came up.
Yeah, his boyfriend is a damn angel. An angel that Kenpachi has no clue how to repay.
-
A week passes with no ‘gory’ stories by Yachiru and no upsetting word from Hanataro on whether he can remain in the school. Neither man has much time for one-on-one time beyond the morning drop off, though getting a choice isn’t optional.
Hanataro juggles people fighting for his attention. A frazzled parent goes over instructions with him as a random little one barnacles themselves to his leg. Yachiru's is more than enough for him, but working for Tessai means training Jinta and putting up with unbelievable levels of lip.
Meanwhile, Ururu can pick up boxes double her size and come away without any aches but tolerates Jinta.
Surely, his boss wouldn't blame him for teaching her as he does Yachiru — something to make work more manageable.
“Mister Kenpachi? I’m sorry but is everything okay?” Ururu picks up a box with minimal effort. “You seem bothered by something.”
Yeah, everything is okay.
Lies, which he has no reason to give her, especially when there’s no reason for her to use anything against him. Yumichika has also been on him to communicate because ‘you have the same emotional vulnerability as a squash’. What does he have to lose by sharing something with his coworker when their boss already suspects or knows everything?
“I'm in a relationship and its -- new?” Kenpachi dodges her curious look. “Every single ‘relationship’ prior to him was nothing beyond physical attraction, drinking, getting high, and eventually dropping off one another’s radar. Now, we have to communicate and I worry whether he's going to break or worse because he's down here with Jinta and I'm a damned giant. Nurses were concerned I would hurt Yachiru.”
Ururu nods and goes back to moving boxes around. “I have to focus on something when communicating. Otherwise, I grow fidgety; my partner has come up with the solution I have something to play with. Do you grow uncomfortable when speaking to people?”
Yeah, and he couldn't fidget with a newborn baby unless he wanted to lose her. Fidgeting with Hanataro usually led to much different activities.
“Do you have any suggestions?”
“Ever done crochet?”