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“Josuke, I don't think you need a man cave,” you tease with a smile as you lay down facing him.
Josuke smiles back at you as he snuggles into his pillow.
“Not a man cave, babe. More like a boys...den. When the guys come over, we can hang out in there without disturbing whatever you've got going on. Plus, it'd be extra space just for me and our little kiddo. We could get lots of father-son bonding done in there. No girls allowed though.”
“No girls allowed huh?”
“Nope. Boys only.”
“I guess that's fair. You did build a deck and relaxation room for me. You're not getting that classic pinball machine though.”
“What?! Babe, the pinball machine can go right next to the 65” flat screen!”
“A 65” flat screen?! And where are you going to put that?” You asked with a laugh.
“Mommy? Daddy?” You hear a small voice call from the threshold of your bedroom door.
Before you can even look up, Josuke is already hopping out of bed and heading for your son in the doorway.
“What's wrong, kiddo? Did you have a nightmare?” you hear after Josuke approaches your son who's dressed in Elmo pajamas.
Josuke leans down to pick him up, ready to carry him back to his room. Josuke places a quick kiss on your son's cheek as he holds him.
“I can't sleep. Can I sleep with you, Daddy?”
Josuke looks over at you to see what your answer is. Your smile is bright in the warm lamp light as you pull back the comforter.
“Of course you can sleep with us, Bean.”
Your son cheers with excitement as Josuke carries him to your shared bed. Josuke lays down, cradling your son to his chest. In a matter of seconds, your son quickly unravels himself from Josuke and crawls over to you.
“Mmm, hi Mommy,” he hums as he lays his head on your chest.
“Hi, my little bean,” you say as you cradle him on your chest and rub his head.
There's something akin to hurt in Josuke's eyes as he realizes his son has ditched him.
“Kiddo,” you can hear the pout in Josuke's voice as he continues. “don't you wanna lay on Daddy?”
“S’okay Daddy. I want to lay on Mommy,” he punctuates by locking his arms around your torso and his legs around your waist.
“Isn't Daddy comfy?” Josuke asks with a furrow of his eyebrows.
“Mommy is comfiest,” your son says as he gets comfortable laying right on top of you.
“Mommy is comfiest,” you repeat with a tease as you wrap your arms around him and hold close to your chest. You stick your tongue out at Josuke, which only makes him frown. He rolls his eyes.
“Aww Josuke, don't be like that. He still loves you. Right, Bean? You still love your daddy?” You ask your son.
“Yeah, Daddy. I still love you.”
Josuke's frown melts into a small smile.
“Hey buddy, try closing your eyes and see if you can count backwards from 100.”
You laugh at the amount of tricks Josuke uses to try to get your son to go to sleep.
There's a lull in the conversation as you try to soothe your son into falling asleep on your chest.
“Daddy, would you still love me if I turned into a worm?”
Josuke bites back a laugh as he looks down at your son who still has his eyes closed. He's serious. He seriously wants to know if Josuke would still love him if he turned into a worm.
“Of course, buddy. I'd still love you if you were a worm. I'll always love you no matter what.”
“What about a snake? What if I turned into a snake, daddy?” he asks with a yawn.
“Oh Bean, Your daddy doesn't like snakes,”
“But I'd love you if you were a snake; you and your mommy,” Josuke intervenes.
“What about a turtle? Would you feed me lettuce everyday so I can be a big and strong turtle, daddy?”
Josuke shivers at the thought. You try your best not to giggle as his face twists in disgust. A turtle may be where Josuke draws the line.
“I'd give you all the lettuce you want, kiddo. You'd be the biggest, strongest turtle ever!”
“I love you, Daddy.”
Josuke loses his footing at the sudden affection. It takes him a minute to switch gears.
“I love you too, little bean.”
Your son's body begins to slacken against yours as he begins falling asleep.
“I love you so much, Mommy.”
“I love you too, Bean. So much.”
You place a few kisses on the crown of his head as he drifts off to sleep. You sweep his curls to the side to watch his peaceful, sleeping face. He was growing entirely too fast.
It feels as though just yesterday he was learning to walk. Now you have a walking, talking four year old. A smart one at that. According to Tomoko, you'd given birth to Josuke's clone. From the baby pictures that she's shown you, there is no doubt that this is Josuke's son. Of course, you expected some similarities because Josuke is his father after all, but you wished that some of your genes made the cut. You did carry him for nine months and go through an excruciating labor and delivery for him. The least he could do was look a little bit like you. He’s a carbon copy of Josuke, right down to the sparkling blue eyes and the star shaped birthmark at the junction of his neck. Josuke says that your son has your nose and your ears, but you're sure he's only saying that to make you feel better. The fact that your son intentionally mimics Josuke, only drives the idea of him being Josuke's clone further home. When your son finally got a good grasp on vocabulary, he went through a period of constantly saying “what the hell” because he heard Josuke say it once. It took a while to break him out of it because rather than disciplining your son, Josuke would have a laughing fit.
Josuke always teases that he's the favorite between you two, but you both know it isn't true. Your son always and without a doubt favors you. “Such a momma's boy,” Josuke always teases. “I wonder where he gets that from,” you always tease back. It's just another thing that they had in common. Even with the way that Josuke always pretended to pout and sulk, it didn't bother him that your son preferred you. He knows it doesn't mean that your son loves him any less. Hell, Josuke can't blame the kid. You're the best mother a kid can have.
You're so lost in reflection as you look down at your son that you don't even notice how Josuke is staring at you both. He's watching the way your fingers stroke through the little boy’s hair and over his plump, round cheeks. Occasionally, you'll place a couple kisses on top of his head. Josuke is so mesmerized by the scene in front of him. His wife. His child. His family. His to build. His to support. His to love. His to cherish. He made this family. There is no greater pride in his life. Had someone told him ten years ago that he'd be 26 years old with a family and in bed by 9:30pm, he would've laughed hard enough to pop a blood vessel. Yet here he is, laying next to his wife and son in bed at 9:34pm and he couldn't be happier. He wants time to slow down so he can enjoy moments like these. His chest is burning with the warmth of his melting heart. It almost moves him to tears. He loves you both. So much. More than words can describe. This isn't unconditional love. It's far beyond that. He'd do anything for you two. Anything. No sacrifice is too great. As a nurse, he's had days at work that wear him down to the soles of his feet. The whole ride home from the hospital, he thinks of his family. Just the thought of you two seems to breathe life back into him. When he's sneaking into the house so he can shower away the stench of the hospital, he's imagining your smiles when he comes to greet you in the kitchen. When you both run to him to welcome him home after his shower, he finds himself forgetting why his feet ache. His home isn't just where he lays his head and eats his meals. It's his safe haven. It's where he's the happiest. Seeing the way that you're doting on your son while he holds you in his sleep has Josuke on cloud 9. His whole world is right here in bed next to him.
“Baby,” he calls to you.
Your ears perk up at the pet name. He only uses ‘baby’ in two instances; right before he’s about to say something disarmingly sweet or right before he says something alarmingly filthy. Josuke being Josuke, you never know which one it'll be. When you look up at him, his eyes are glassy.
“What is it, Josuke?”
You reach up to put a hand on his cheek and he leans into your touch.
“I love you so much,” he tells you and it's not enough. It'll never be enough. He'll never be able to express the true depths of his love for you and the child you share. He feels so lucky to be able to experience this. You know exactly how he feels. All you can ever offer is telling them that you love them more than anything. Life hasn't always been easy and you're sure that there will be speed bumpsto come, but you're not worried. You have Josuke by your side.
“I love you too. So much.”
You smile as he leans down to press a kiss to your lips.
“Get some sleep,” he tells you as he reaches over to turn off the lamp.
Gently, you roll your son off of you and onto his side so you can spoon him. You feel Josuke scoot close behind you so he can do the same.
“Good night, baby.”
“Good night.”