Chapter Text
“I,” Inuyasha declared, “am a superhero.”
Big brown eyes stared up at him, unblinking. Slowly, the baby lifted her tiny hand, sticking it into her mouth.
Well. He should have expected as much. Still, it would have been nice if his own daughter thought something of this very important secret.
Possibly sensing her father’s disappointment, Moroha’s eyes took on a particularly glassy sheen, her slobbery hand reaching out with a garbled, “Ba!”
“Yes, me. And your mom. Both of us are superheroes.” Inuyasha grabbed at her tiny, socked feet, tickling them. “You might be, too, you little monster.”
“Ba-da-daaaa,” Moroha agreed, the sound breaking into a squeal of laughter. Her two front teeth—the only ones she had so far—made an appearance. She was so insanely cute, Inuyasha ached with it. He wanted her to stay little forever. He wanted her like this always, his captivated tiny listener who paid attention to the stories of the good old days, when superheroes were able to protect the cities and countries they loved. It had been five years ago that superheroes were forced to permanently go into hiding, their services no longer desired after so much damage done.
“One time, Daddy took down a bad guy who slobbered just as badly as you do,” he told her, lifting her bib to take away the worst of the drool. “But you, at least, have the excuse of teething.”
Moroha scrunched up her nose and tried to twist her face away, letting him know exactly what she thought about his cleaning tactics. The only reason she didn’t start to fuss was because Buyo, their cat, sauntered by, tantalizingly close. Moroha tried to grab at his fur.
“None of that,” Inuyasha gently chided, nudging the cat along. He was always getting himself into terrible places that he’d soon regret, leaving Inuyasha to deal with him. Moroha’s grabby hands were not always gentle. “You’re a good girl. Leave the cat alone and stop drooling, okay? No more. Don’t be like that dingbat, Royakan. Did you know that Daddy had to pull an entire tree from the ground and shove it down his slobbery throat?”
“You better not be traumatizing our child before she’s even one.”
Smirking, Inuyasha turned around just as Moroha let out a giddy, bubbling squeal. Coming into the living room was Kagome, her hair damp and skin flushed from the shower. “She has no idea what I’m saying.”
“The point still stands.” Kagome came over, expression blooming at the sight of their daughter so pleased before them. “Hi, sweetheart. Have you been listening to Daddy’s stories?”
Moroha babbled before shoving her fist back into her mouth, drool all over her chin. Kagome reached out her hand, and before Inuyasha could even begin to think of what she needed, a freshly plucked piece of tissue paper floated over and landed in her palm. She used it to dry Moroha, fussing a little at a small red patch on her chin.
“Telling her stories is the only way to keep her calm long enough so you can have a shower,” Inuyasha explained. He felt a bit defensive, and one amused glance from Kagome let him know that she’d noticed, too. “They’re fun for her!”
“She always has fun with her dad, no matter what you do.” Kagome gave him a little hip-check, a nudge of familiarity. “Plus, your voice is sexy.”
“Is it, now?” he asked, but the entire effect was ruined by Moroha whining, evidently bored now that the attention of her parents was elsewhere.
Kagome floated over Moroha’s favorite teething ring, fussing at her again. “If our daughter is anything like me, then she’ll love listening to you talk. Even if all you talk about are our old superhero antics.”
“Don’t you think she should know?” Inuyasha asked. This felt important to him, this story of theirs that deserved to be told. “She could have powers, too.”
“She also might not have any at all.”
“Kagome—”
Before he could utter another word, his wife stepped into his space, her hands cupping his jaw. It startled him into silence, and he would be irritated about the success of this particular tactic of hers if she wasn’t so damn beautiful.
“Inuyasha,” she murmured, and her dark eyes were so warm and familiar that he could feel the tension leaking out of him, a weight he hadn’t even realized was there. Her thumbs traced at his cheeks. “One day, when Moroha’s old enough, we’ll tell her. Maybe we’ll start small, if she starts showing her powers early. She will know.”
He could tell it wasn’t the end of it. “But…”
“But that was the past,” Kagome pressed, her tone firm and gentle in equal measure. “A few crazy, insane years of our lives.”
“They were more than just that,” he argued. “We did good things. We saved people. We met each other.”
As if angry that she was being left out of the equation, Moroha yelled, a baby’s demand for attention. Kagome laughed, finally releasing Inuyasha from her hold so that she could take Moroha out of her chair. “And now, we’re a family, aren’t we?” she asked, clearly directed at their daughter. “Is it time for your bath, now?”
“Do you want any help?” Inuyasha asked, nodding to the squirming mess of their child in Kagome’s arms.
“Nah, us girls are good. Besides, your phone has been going off like crazy since dinner. I know what that means.”
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “That asshole can wait a bit.”
“I’m sure,” Kagome replied, smiling softly. “But I promise I’m good.”
“Fine, but I’ll come back to say goodnight to this little monster.” Leaning down to kiss his daughter’s forehead, he snuck a kiss to Kagome’s cheek before pulling away. “Text me if you need me?”
“Always.”
Moroha watched him with her big eyes as the two of them went upstairs. Her nose was a little red, a clear sign that she was already growing tired. A bath and some milk would knock her out for sure.
Still, there was some time to kill if Kagome didn’t want help.
Grabbing his cell and keys, Inuyasha headed out the front door and sauntered across the quiet street. Their subdivision was a quaint one, with rows of similar-looking houses and black fences and big, leafy trees. While not late, the sun had already set, leaving families to entertain themselves indoors until bedtime called.
And then, there was Kōga.
Like an utter lunatic, the man was sitting in his garage, the light a glaring beacon for anyone who dared to look outside. The bay door was up, and even from this distance Inuyasha could hear the tinny sound of radio calls and static. It gave off tin-hat vibes, in a way, because Inuyasha thought that people who purposefully hung out in their garages were strange people indeed.
Yet somehow, every few nights, Inuyasha voluntarily went over to sit with his neighbor, a man who had once used his super-speed to stop a bank robbery and save all the hostages within sixty-three seconds.
“Took you long enough,” Kōga grunted, as charming as always.
“Give it another two months, when your baby is born,” Inuyasha shot back, sitting down in the only other chair the garage held. “Trust me, asshole, you won’t be casually sitting here for fun and doing nothing.”
Snorting, Kōga shook his head. “Don’t I know it. Ayame’s been craving the weird stuff. I get queasy just looking at her.”
“Never question it.”
“Ya think?”
Inuyasha smirked, settling in. For a moment, it was simply the radio between them, picking up on the various police radios across the city. Once upon a time, the two of them would have been out there, protecting the streets from crime. Now, they were…not. Sometimes, the loss of it was like a foreign ache, oddly hollow. It didn’t always make an appearance; Kagome was right about how wonderful their life was right now. Being superheroes may have brought them together, but it was their time spent playing house and being good neighbors that they grew together, Moroha the perfect addition to their budding life.
The energy was still there, though, buzzing. It had been so long since he had lifted anything bigger than a lawnmower. There were days that Inuyasha wondered if his powers would atrophy, disappear from disuse.
A silly thought, really. Kagome would sigh at him, but would ensure the next day that she gave him all the chores that required the strength of three men. She was amazing like that.
“You’re going all soft, I can see it,” Kōga crowed, smug. “Didn’t you say when we first met that you would never settle down?”
“I didn’t say shit,” he argued, even though it was a bold-faced lie. Inuyasha gestured towards the radio in a desperate bid to change the topic. “Quiet night?”
Kōga shot him one last amused glance before he shrugged, leaning down to open up a cooler by his side. “Beer?”
“Sure.”
“Open mine for me.”
“Open yours yourself,” Inuyasha replied, taking his and flicking off the metal cap like it was paper. “There’s a bottle opener on the table.”
“Jerk,” Kōga grumbled, but got himself settled anyway. Inuyasha, feeling oddly magnanimous despite their bickering, tipped his drink towards him. Their bottles clinked. “How’s Kagome?”
“Good. Ayame?”
“Very pregnant.”
“Find any muggers to make cry?”
“No, just one thief.” Kōga sounded rather grouchy about it. “But it’s hard to do anything on the down low. Not if you want to make an impact.”
These were all the same thoughts Inuyasha had. It was mildly horrifying, in the way that agreeing with Kōga on anything was mildly horrifying. They weren’t friends, really—more like acquaintances with a shared past. The two of them fought more than anything else, but being neighbors while hiding their superpowers had brought them closer together. At least, it brought them to the very same garage, listening to the very same radio spew out police calls. Inuyasha drank most of his beer in one gulp.
“Does Kagome miss it?”
The question threw Inuyasha off. He stared at their house, at the window on the top right where Kagome would be trying to put Moroha to sleep soon. The answer was pretty easy, actually. “No, I don’t think so. She’s happy we settled down.”
“But you miss it.”
Inuyasha snorted, pausing with the beer bottle at his lips to mutter, “You do, too,” before downing the rest.
Kōga rolled his eyes. “Not everything is a goddamn contest,” he stated, like the liar that he was. “I just wondered, you know? Her mind powers were always useful.”
“Telekinesis.”
“I know what it’s called.”
Inuyasha smirked. “Right, of course you do. Well, this has been fun, but I’ve got to say goodnight to the little monster. Thanks for the beer, and enjoy your…” He waved a hand at the police radio. “Adventures in listening.”
“First of all, I’m being nostalgic,” Kōga argued, snarky. “And second, tell your wife I said hi.”
“Not a chance in hell, zoom boy,” Inuyasha replied, just for the sake of old times. Kōga cheerfully flipped him off.
The house was quiet as he came in, broken only by a very quiet meow high up. Ah, yes. Buyo had decided to climb the shelves again. “I’m not saving you,” Inuyasha chided him, stern. “This is your own fault. Stop getting yourself into bad spots, and this shit wouldn’t happen.”
“Are you talking to the cat again?” Kagome peered down from the staircase, amused. “Help him, will you?”
“No,” Inuyasha argued. “He’s smart enough to get himself down. Is Moroha asleep?”
“Barely. Give it a couple minutes and then you can check on her.” Kagome went down the stairs, not even hesitating to throw her arms around Inuyasha’s middle to lean on him.
Despite Moroha being a good baby, she was still a handful. Inuyasha tried to help out as much as he could outside of work, but Kagome was always exhausted. Rubbing at her shoulders, Inuyasha hummed. “Did you want some tea, or do you just want to pass out?”
Kagome sighed. “How about I make some tea and you get the cat down?”
Ugh. Ugh, the cat.
“You love Buyo,” Kagome declared, without him even saying a word. Slowly peeling herself from Inuyasha’s chest, she gave his heart a couple pats before yawning. “Tea. Show. Bed.”
“An easy evening,” Inuyasha agreed.
And then, as if the universe had heard him and wanted to poke fun, the phone rang. Not the regular phone, though: oh, no. The other phone.
Their superhero phone.