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It was around 10:30pm at night when Kaoru could hear the first tremors of an incoming storm. However, he paid them no mind. Especially since he had more pressing matters to attend to. Specifically, the ones sitting in front of him, that is.
“Come on, Koga. I’ve already read tonight’s bedtime story. It’s time for bed now.”
He couldn’t help but cover his laugh as the small boy in question responded with an adorable pout. As much as Kaoru wanted to take him seriously, he was unable to do so when the latter was dressed in a grey wolf onesie. “Okay, okay. How about…” He felt an idea forming in his head as he glanced towards another boy in the room, curled up on his side wearing a purple bear onesie. “If you go to bed now, I promise to read two stories for both you and Adonis tomorrow night.”
He could barely contain the grin spreading on his face seeing how quickly his trick worked. Praising himself with a silent ‘victory’ in the back of his mind, Kaoru lowered himself down and gave his hand out in Koga’s direction. “So, what do you say?”
Patiently, Kaoru watched as Koga looked back at Adonis before reaching out and taking his hand. With a gentle squeeze, Kaoru shook his hand in a faux agreement before leaning forward and picking the wolf up in his arms. “It seems the deal is complete! Now, as any deal goes, you need to fill in your side of the bargain. That means bedtime for the both of you, got it?”
With a small throw, Kaoru gave Koga a minispin in his arms, delighted to see the boy giggle, before laying him out onto the shared bed. Grabbing the yellow quilt at the foot of the bed, he threw it over the two boys before properly tucking them in, gently tugging the edges to make sure it was snug. Finally, he grabbed their favorite plushies from a nearby shelf (a brown bear plushie for Adonis and a big corgi plushie for Koga) and, when giving it to each of them, lightly kissed them on the top of their heads.
“Goodnight you two~ Sweet dreams.” Kaoru gave the room a final glance, checking to see if their night light was on before leaving the room. He heard both Koga and Adonis reply with sleepy goodnights as he left the door to their room slightly open. Taking a moment to stretch his arms, he then quietly made his way downstairs towards the living room. He arrived to see his husband idly switching through tv channels, a mildly bored expression on his face before changing to a sly grin once he noticed Kaoru.
“Oya oya? That was quicker than I expected, Kaoru.” Rei put the tv remote on the table as Kaoru went around to sit next to him. He then immediately laid himself out and onto Kaoru, making eye contact with him as he made himself comfy in his lap. “You really are good with kids.”
“Or you just suck with them.” Kaoru teased back, running his hand through Rei’s hair.
“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong with them, Kaoru~” Rei whined, sending pleading eyes up towards him. “I try my best to get them to agree, but it never works… They sometimes even laugh at me…”
“Laugh at you? Oh, honey...” Kaoru brought his hands to Rei’s cheeks and squished them, bringing his head forward as he booped their noses together. “I’m sure they appreciate you and your efforts, even if they’re a little lacking…”
“Besides,” He drew his thumbs under Rei’s eyes, happily watching as his cheeks became the slightest hint of red. “I think you do amazing. Especially since you’re a ‘vampire of the night’ yourself.”
“Kukuku. That is simply nothing more than a stage name, my dear.” Rei grinned, bearing his fangs at Kaoru. “However… I could show you why that is my stage name,” He lifted his hands to Kaoru’s and grabbed them, moving them so that they floated between each other. “Only if you want me to, of course.”
Kaoru nodded, slowly removing his hands from Rei’s grip. One hand then immediately went back to Rei’s hair, combing through it slower than before. His other grasped Rei’s wrist, gently pulling it up to his lips before he kissed the back of his palm. Passing a sly glance towards Rei, he began to place tender kisses along each finger, leaving his lips longer than usual on top of the wedding ring that adorned his ring finger. His partner responded to the affection with a quiet hum of contentment, closing his eyes. Knowing just what he wanted, Kaoru leaned forward and closed his eyes as well. Just as their faces were almost close enough, however…
CRASH!
The sound of thunder echoed inside the home, startling both Rei and Kaoru enough to snap them out of their lovey-dovey phase. Soon after, the small pitter patter of rain could be heard outside the closed windows. The couple glanced at each other and the windows in a bit of surprise before Rei slowly slinked off of Kaoru’s lap, understanding the male was concerned about the quick-coming storm. As soon as Rei was completely off of him, Kaoru went towards the nearest window and peeked outside, wincing.
“It seems tonight’s going to be a big one, Rei.”
“It’ll be fine. These storms don’t last for more than a day. At most, we might lose power, but we can manage.”
“But what about-”
“Koga and Adonis will also be fine.” Rei stood up and went to his husband, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not like we can shelter them from everything forever. They’re old enough to start experiencing things now, don’t you think?” Rei softened his tone, bringing him into a side-hug as he squeezed his shoulder.
It’s not like Rei didn’t understand Kaoru’s anxiety for the kids. They were both the parents of such lovable children, and the thought of a storm making them feel afraid made Rei feel uneasy. “They’ll be fine, I promise. Besides, we’re still here for them. They know they can always come to us.”
A few seconds of silence passed between the two as they both stared out the window, watching the rain get thrown around in the hurling wind. Eventually, Kaoru relented, leaning into the hug as he reached down to hold Rei’s hand. “Ok, you win.” He sighed in defeat, letting out a yawn before resting his head on Rei’s shoulder and snuggling into the crook of his neck. “Do you still want to...?”
“It’s fine. We can always do it another day.” Rei pet his head, giving light scratches to the other’s scalp. “You came home late today from your agency, I’m sure you’re tired.” He laid a light kiss on Kaoru’s ear, barely touching his lips against it as he murmured; “Let’s head upstairs for the night.”
“‘Kay…”
The sound of the storm lulled Kaoru to sleep that night, his arms wrapped around Rei as the vampire buried his face in his chest. The atmosphere was so peaceful due to the soft background noise of the rain, he couldn’t help but fall asleep within seconds, forgetting any sort of stress he had earlier.
Unfortunately, that same background noise also woke him in the middle of the night as a loud thunderstrike shook the room.
CRASH! BOOM!
With a small jolt his body flinched and he quickly came to consciousness. Giving himself a moment, he internally sighed. “Of course,” he groaned under his breath, silently cursing the storm as he flipped himself over in bed. Leave it to the storm to ruin his sleep.
At least it was easy to fall asleep again though, right? ‘ It’s fine. ’ Kaoru let his body relax once more. Letting his mind give in to the tendrils of sleep, Kaoru almost dozed off again to the sound of the storm, before thunder sounded off again. Hearing it echo in the house and within his ears, it reminded him of something… familiar. From a long, long, time ago.
Putting his original goal of sleep aside, for now, he mentally shook himself out of his sleepy state. Considering he was woken up, he might as well check up on everyone else, especially the kids. Even if it was for a brief moment, just to make sure no one else had been disturbed. After all, it’s what she would’ve done if she were here, too.
Rei was first, and Kaoru could immediately tell that the vampire was still asleep. Rei was a bit of a heavy sleeper, and even in the darkness he could see that he’d not stirred in the slightest, face pressed flush against a pillow he was currently hugging. Kaoru gently trailed a hand along Rei’s arm, smiling to himself before sitting up.
Next was Adonis and Koga, and in order to check up on them, he’d need to get out of the bed without waking Rei. ‘Shouldn’t be a problem.’ Kaoru thought, slowly shimmying himself out from under the covers.
He was only halfway out when he then quickly noticed a large, questionable shadow in the doorway.
Immediately, Kaoru lifted his hand to his face, covering a poorly held-back squeal that escaped his lips. He was frozen, unsure of what to do as he stared at the shadow in the door. Was there a break in? Maybe he was seeing ghosts? Where were Koga and Adonis?
Kaoru rubbed at his eyes and looked at the doorway again. Sure enough, the shadow was still there, barely visible against the darkness. With alarm signals now running in his head, since the possibility of it being his imagination were gone, he reached for his phone while keeping eye contact with the hidden shape. He barely had a grasp on it when another lightning bolt struck, the room quickly becoming illuminated in a white glow.
That’s when Kaoru realized, with the help of the sudden light, that the weird shadow was in fact not made by a burglar. Instead, it was made by what seemed to be two small figures, connected by trembling hands. The figures themselves seemed to have different sets of ears that created large shadows within the darkness. While one had pointy ears that were flopped down, the other one (with a tiny bear in hand) possessed rounded ears.
Taking a closer look at the figures themselves, Kaoru’s heart immediately softened. Now knowing he was safe, he scooted his phone back onto the side table before turning back with his arms open and (hopefully) inviting.
“Koga, Adonis.” He spoke tenderly, careful as to not scare them any more than they already were. “What’re you two doing up so late at night? You aren’t trying to sneak off somewhere again, are you?” He joked, hoping to receive the same loud response that the remark usually received. Unfortunately, the two seemed to have no reaction to it, standing there quietly until another lightning bolt struck, causing the house to slightly shake under its force.
The sound of sniffles that followed after said lightning bolt immediately threw Kaoru out of bed and towards the smaller duo. Crouching down to their level, he placed one hand on Adonis’s shoulder, moving his other to wipe away a few stray tears from Koga’s face. “Storms sure are scary, huh?” He sighed, gently guiding the both of them into a hug. He could feel their hands clinging onto him as they slightly nodded, opting to further bury themselves in his neck when another lightning bolt flashed through the windows.
“It’s alright, it’s alright…” Kaoru shushed them tenderly, rubbing their backs and humming random melodies in order to help them cope with the lightning. It wasn’t the first time Kaoru had to deal with loud raging storms, interrupting sleep and creating chaos in the form of nightmares. However, unlike the current moment he was experiencing, the past times he had been through were different. Instead of being the one to give comfort, he had been the one to receive comfort.
He remembers it clearly; nights filled with constant flashes, each strike producing more horrifying shadows than the last. The process he would take was always the same: he would get out of bed with nothing more than a blanket around himself and trek down the large hallways towards his parents bedroom, all while stopping at every flash in order to brace himself for the following thunder.
Sometimes he would make it to his destination with surprising ease, despite the constant stops along the way. Other times he would just end up frozen in the hallway, unable to move in fear of the thunder just like Koga and Adonis had been earlier. No matter where he ended up, though, there was always that someone that would either see him or find him, despite always happening in the middle of the night.
That someone would always react the same way, whether it was the first time or the tenth time Kaoru had been scared out of his room. They would lift him into a big hug, softly humming sweet lullabies into his ear as he clung to them desperately in an attempt to block out the raging nightmares outside. They would constantly reassure him, telling him that he would be okay, and that the storm would never reach him despite sounding so close. Even on specifically bad nights, they would allow him to cry on their shoulder with nothing more than reassurance that it would be over before he even knew it. Eventually, he would calm down, and they would carry him all the way to their bedroom, where he would finally fall asleep once again to the gentle sound of their singing.
They were always so gentle and kind to him... Kaoru couldn’t help but follow in their footsteps. They helped him in so many ways to get to where he is now, from being a small boy to having a husband and two adorable children.
Sure, they can’t physically be there for him like they used to, but that doesn't mean that they’re completely gone from his life. They will always remain in his heart, and help him when he needs it the most.
Just like how he will always be there to help Koga and Adonis whenever they need it the most.
“Alright you two,” Kaoru pulled the both of them away from the hug, moving his hands so that they rested on the top of their heads. “We can’t stay in the hallway forever; you two still need to sleep.” Kaoru let out a small yawn as he ruffled their hair; he also needed to get some sleep himself. “Would you like me to come back to bed with you two? Or would you rather stay with us tonight? There’s no wrong or-”
“...here.”
“Eh?”
Kaoru did a double take, shaking his head to clear the resurfacing sleepiness from his brain. “What did you say, Koga?”
“We want…” The boy turned his face to the side, choosing to stare at the floor beneath them. “We came because we wanted… to be here. Right, Adonis?” He turned to his brother, who responded with a curt nod, before looking at Kaoru with such adorable, sweet eyes ... How could Kaoru say no to them?
Well, it’s not like he had that power to begin with, anyway.
“Okay, okay~ I hear you loud and clear.” Kaoru teased, standing up as he grabbed both of their hands before walking them into the room. Giving them time to climb into the bed, he went back to his own side and shook Rei’s shoulder. “Oi, Rei. You need to move over. We’ve got company.”
“Nnn…”
“Rei…”
The name, accompanied by another, harder shake by Koga, seemed to finally do the trick. Getting Adonis and himself into his side of the bed, Kaoru watched as Rei’s crimson eyes fluttered, taking in the fact that yes, there was more than one other person in the bed now, before smiling up at the closest towards him.
“Oh my, are my eyes playing tricks on me? There appears to be a big, bad wolf sitting right next to me,” Lifting a hand he pet Koga’s head, before quickly picking the boy up and placing him at the center of the bed. Sitting himself up, he took a quick look at Koga’s shiny face before wiping it gently with his sleeve. “Now, now, we can’t have any of that, now can we?” A quick kiss to his temple followed, with it after a quiet chuckle; “See? There we go.”
Within a few minutes of teamwork rearranging pillows and moving around, they eventually settled down with both the younger ones tucked in the center while the couple slept at the edges. As the haze of warmth and sleepiness took over, Kaoru took a final step and loosely hugged his arm around his children. Rei quickly followed suit, his hand reaching over and intertwining with Kaoru’s in a loose grip.
Mouthing a quick ‘thank you’ to Rei, Kaoru took a final glance at his family before finally letting his eyes slip shut once more. Kaoru couldn’t help but feel happy at the thought of all four of them together like this, snuggled under one blanket all with one another. It was quite calming, and, in a way that makes Kaoru’s heart melt, domestic.
With drowsiness easing his mind to rest, Kaoru and the rest of his family slept peacefully the following hours of the night.
After all, they had each other, and that was more than enough to fight off any monsters, or storms, that would try to come their way.