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Skies were gray and raindrops were pattering on the rooftop; the sound was like a gentle lullaby, almost lulling Rei to sleep. He sat on a couch in the living room of his home, reading some kind of philosophy book. The whole atmosphere seemed gloomy, but a warm smell wafted into the room, soft humming reaching his ears. In need of company, he got up from his seat with a yawn.
Leaning against the kitchen entrance, he gazed fondly at the sight in front of him. The blonde was stirring tomato sauce with one hand while the other laid on his hip. Hearing a light chuckle behind him, Kaoru turned around and smiled at Rei before bringing his attention back to the pot.
“Hm? What’s up, Rei-kun?”
“Nothing in particular~” Rei came up from behind and wrapped his arms around Kaoru’s waist, placing his chin on his shoulder. “Oh~ we’re having spaghetti tonight? Smells lovely.”
Kaoru hummed, lifting his unoccupied hand to pat Rei’s head. “It should be done by the time the kids come home.” He glanced at the time displayed on the microwave. “Speaking of the kids, they should be out of school soon. Could you pick them up alone this time?”
Rei nuzzled his head into Kaoru's shoulder before replying, “As you wish~” Putting on his raincoat, he called out teasingly. “I’ll return shortly, don’t miss me too much!”
Rolling his eyes, a smile tugged at Kaoru’s lips. “Be safe~ come back soon!”
The front door shut, Rei’s chuckles slowly fading away.
“Adonis! Are you ready to go?” Koga appeared next to the purple haired boy, who was still switching his school shoes to his outdoor ones.
“Just a second…” Adonis mumbled.
Glancing outside, Koga frowned. “Looks like ‘s raining, just like what Kaoru-nii said.”
Adonis nodded, standing up. “Good thing he gave us raincoats.” Pulling on his bear shaped hood, he waited for Koga to wear his own jacket which had a wolf design instead of a bear.
The two then walked out of the school, calling out farewells to their friends and teachers. Upon seeing Rei at the school gate waving from underneath an umbrella, the children rushed towards him excitedly.
“Rei-nii!!” Tugging at his jacket, they grinned happily.
“Huh? Where’s Kaoru-nii?” Adonis looked around, his eyebrows furrowed. He reached up to hold Rei’s hand.
“Hello you two~ Kaoru-nii is at home preparing a very nice dinner for us.” Rei smiled at the two fondly and they began to walk home. “So, how was school today?”
“Natsume blew up the classroom today during science!” Koga began jumping into puddles, giggling as he tried to make the biggest splash. “It was super cool!”
“O-oh? Was anyone hurt–ah! Koga, you’re going to get my pants wet~!”
Adonis shook his head. “No, everyone was okay. The teachers got mad at him though…” Tugging on Rei’s hand, Adonis then pointed at a box on the side of the road. “Hey Rei-nii, what’s that?”
Koga stopped jumping and ran towards the box, dragging the other two along. When they got close, Koga bent down to inspect the contents of the box. “AH?! It’s a dog!”
Adonis went to squat next to Koga, his eyes wide. “P-puppy!”
In the box was a small corgi, its fur damp from the rain. It yapped at them, wagging its stubby tail excitedly.
“Oh my…poor thing.” Rei frowned and he crouched behind the two children, covering them with his umbrella. “It seems it has been abandoned.”
“Aban–what?” Koga scrunched up his nose, looking up at Rei. Adonis tilted his head,
“I don't think that’s a good thing.”
“Yes, that’s correct, Adonis. Being abandoned means that they were left here alone on purpose. Which is, of course, not a good thing.” Rei hummed thoughtfully, “Now, what shall we do…”
The children looked at each other and an unspoken agreement passed between them. Leaning down closer to the dog, Koga reached to pet it. The dog in turn barked excitedly, lifting its head to get more pats.
“Wanna come home with us, doggie?”
Rei blinked. “Now just a moment, children. We shouldn’t–”
Adonis tentatively reached his small hand out, rubbing the dog's fur. “At home, you get lots of food and it’s warm. Let’s be friends.” The two looked up at Rei, their eyes pleading. “Rei-nii, can we bring the doggie home? Please?”
Koga stood up and grabbed the front of Rei’s jacket, yanking him back and forth. “Please, please, please?? I promise I’ll be good!”
“Pleaseee???” They begged.
Rei closed his eyes, a pained smile spreading across his face. “...A-alright.” Koga and Adonis cried out happily, looking down at the corgi.
“Let’s go home!”
Hearing the front door open, Kaoru peaked around the corner with a grin.
“Welcome h—”
Koga, Adonis, and Rei stood frozen in the entryway, their raincoats sopping wet from the rain. The front of Koga’s coat was bulging, the bump wiggling vigorously. They stared wide-eyed at Kaoru.
“Ka-kaoru-kun! W-we’re home~” Rei laughed nervously, scratching his cheek.
The thing underneath Koga’s coat continued moving about. “Shhh…’s okay.” Koga held the object tighter, hushing to it. Adonis then stepped in front of him, shielding him from the piercing gaze.
“…Koga, Adonis, Rei-kun. What do you have there?” Kaoru narrowed his eyes, stepping out of the kitchen with his hands on his hips.
The three visibly gulped, “n-nothin–”
woof
A dog popped up from Koga’s coat, its tongue hanging out from its mouth.
“...”
Rei frantically waved his hands. “I-I can explain!”
“...”
The dog leaped from Koga’s grasp, shaking out its fur. Koga giggled, shielding his face from the flying water droplets.
“…”
Adonis suddenly sneezed, wiping his nose with his sleeve. “Kaoru-nii.” He said, sniffing loudly.
Kaoru stood there, quietly observing the scene in front of him. Letting out a sigh of defeat, he then walked over to help Adonis take off his coat. “Let’s get you tw–actually, three in a bath.” Rei pointed at himself in confusion and Kaoru sighed again,
“No, not you, Rei-kun. The dog.”
After getting a bubble bath prepared, the two children plus the corgi rushed into the bathroom. The two kids happily splashed around in the tub, playing with their rubber ducks.
Kaoru hummed, looking down at the puppy who gazed expectantly at him.“Now, let’s get you clean first…” Skimming through online sources, he found out that baby shampoo would be an okay alternative for dog shampoo for now. Conveniently, he uses baby shampoo for the kids anyways.
Much to his surprise, the dog stood still in front of him as he bathed it. Kaoru couldn't help but smile, watching as content spread across its face. Rinsing all the soap away, the puppy licked Kaoru’s face enthusiastically in thanks and jumped into the tub, causing the children to squeal.
“Koga, come on out buddy.”
“Oookay~” Koga hopped out of the tub, plopping down in front of Kaoru. The boy closed his eyes, his nose scrunched up as Kaoru washed his hair. “Mhmgh!” He shook his head, splashing water and soap onto Kaoru. “Hurry, hurry! I wanna play!”
“Hey, hey~ hold on – anddd done~” Slicking back Koga’s hair to keep it out of his face, Kaoru finally allowed him to get into the tub with the dog.
Without saying anything, Adonis then carefully stepped out of the water and sat in front of Kaoru, shutting his eyes tightly. The blonde then got to work, murmuring praises as Adonis obediently stayed still.
A knock was heard and the door slowly creaked open, “Kaoru-kun, are you in need of any assistance?” Rei was drying his hair with a towel, his face flushed.
Kaoru shook his head, trying his best not to get soap in Adonis’s eyes. “Nah, I’m almost done.”
“Are you sure?”
Kaoru hummed in response. “Okay Adonis, you’re good to open your eyes.” Blinking, the boy smiled up at Kaoru before moving back into the tub with Koga and the dog. “You tw–three don’t make too much of a mess~” A chorus of ‘okay’s and a bark was heard as Kaoru shut the door.
Rei and Kaoru stood in the hallway, echoes of giggles coming from the bathroom. Folding his arms across his damp chest, Kaoru raised an eyebrow. “So?”
“I couldn’t help but give in to their puppy-dog eyes…” Rei pouted, opening his arms. Rolling his eyes, Kaoru couldn’t help but fall forwards into the embrace. “The poor puppy seemed to be abandoned in a cardboard box and we couldn’t just leave it out in the cold.”
“You could’ve at least called me earlier so I could get supplies for the dog.” Kaoru pulled back slightly, staring into red eyes. “I’m gonna run to the store quickly. You can set up dinner for the kids first.”
Rei furrowed his brows. “I don’t want to cause any more trouble for you, I can go in your stead.”
Kaoru smiled, raising his hands to smooth out Rei’s worry creases. “It’s fine, it’s fine~ I’ll be quick. We can go shopping for more supplies tomorrow.”
“...Does this mean we can keep the dog?”
“Yeah? I’m not that heartles-ack!” Rei squeezed Kaoru tight, burying his face into his shoulder.
“I was afraid you were upset at me…”
Laughing, Kaoru untangled himself from Rei’s grasp. “It’s gonna take a lot more than that to make me angry~” He planted a light kiss on Rei’s cheek and walked away to grab his coat and an umbrella. “I’ll be back~” Waving slightly, he winked and closed the door to their house. Rei blushed, touching his cheek.
Suddenly, the bathroom door burst open and a very naked Koga ran out, water and bubbles flying everywhere.
“Rei-nii, Rei-nii! I gotta show you somethin’!” Yanking him back inside the bathroom, Koga pointed to Adonis and the puppy while laughing loudly.
Both of them had a pile of bubbles on top of their heads. The corgi barked excitedly seeing Rei at the door and Adonis turned to him, smiling big,
“Look, it’s a hat!” He pointed at his head, giggling softly.
Rei collapsed onto his knees, burying his face in his hands.
“S-so…cute…”
“I’m home~!” Kaoru called out. Hanging up his jacket and placing down his umbrella, he began to take off his shoes. The sound of wild thumping and screaming came towards him.
“Kaoru-nii!!! You’re back!!” Koga and the corgi came scrambling around the corner. The boy held a fork in his hands, his face and shirt smeared with tomato sauce. Rei and Adonis followed close behind, the purple haired boy looking to be in a similar state as Koga. The dog pawed at Kaoru’s leg, looking excitedly at the plastic bag containing his dinner.
When Kaoru poured out the dog food into a bowl, the puppy barked its gratitude and began to chow down. The children looked at the dog curiously as they ate their own food at the dinner table.
“Why can’t the doggie eat spaghetti, Kaoru-nii?” Koga shoved a meatball into his mouth, his feet dangling from his chair.
Sitting down with his own plate of spaghetti, Kaoru replied, “Dogs can’t eat spaghetti, they have their own special food.” He took a bite of pasta and hummed happily at the taste.
For the rest of dinner, they discussed how their days went.
(Kaoru was quite impressed that Natsume could pull off blowing up the classroom).
“Say, since the dog is now living with us, why don’t we think of a name?” Kaoru tilted his head, looking at the puppy who was finishing up its dinner.
Rei hummed in agreement, “Koga, Adonis, do you two perhaps have a name in mind?”
The two sat in silence before Koga suddenly blurted out, “Leon!”
Adonis confirmed it with a nod, “Leon.”
Rei chuckled, “Well, any objections?” He turned to Kaoru, who held up both of his hands in defeat, a grin spread across his face,
“None here~”
All four of them looked down at the dog, who tilted its head curiously.
“Welcome home, Leon!”
Leon, who did not know what was happening, barked and wagged his tail excitedly.
After getting the children ready for bed, Kaoru and Rei let them play with Leon before they slept. They watched the kids affectionately as they ran around with the puppy, laughing and squealing.
Looking at the clock, Kaoru clapped his hands together and stood up.“Alright everyone~! Time for bed!”
Protests rang out from the two children and they scrambled away from Kaoru. Rei laughed, still splayed out on the couch.
“It seems to be one of these nights, hm?”
Kaoru groaned, a smile tugging at his lips. “I guess so.”
Even though their home was on the smaller side, Rei and Kaoru always struggled in capturing the two boys. Adonis had the speed while Koga excelled in agility. And so, the two began their hunt.
Kaoru spotted his first victim and immediately raced to capture him. Adonis grinned, running past Kaoru before the latter could grab him. The blonde persistently continued chasing him and passed by Rei, the man looking absolutely exhausted.
“Haha! You can’t get me Rei-nii!!” Koga stuck out his tongue, evading Rei’s arms with ease. Kaoru laughed but then yelped, almost tripping over Leon, who was running around with them excitedly.
It took about fifteen-minutes of chasing Adonis and Koga around the house for them to capture both children.
Tucked under Rei’s arm, Koga wiggled his feet excitedly as Rei brought him into his room which he shared with Adonis. The latter was already in bed with Kaoru sitting on the edge of the mattress.
“Oh~? Rei-kun, you were pretty slow today.” Kaoru teased. Koga squealed with delight as Rei tossed him next to Adonis. The corgi hopped onto the bed, circling a spot on the blanket before lying down with a huff.
“Unfortunately, I was unable to trick him this time around.” Rei ruffled Koga’s hair. “He’s learning my tactics very quickly.”
Koga puffed out his chest, grinning ear to ear. “Rei-nii was sooo slow! I wasn’t even at my full power ye–” A big yawn suddenly interrupted his sentence. Blinking away the tears that formed, he incoherently mumbled the rest of his thoughts before plopping down onto his pillow with another yawn.
Adonis was already half-asleep, his golden eyes fluttering open and shut. He seemed to be insistent on staying awake though, making a noise whenever he closed his eyes for too long.
The two young men looked at the two children fondly. Kaoru then tucked them in and gave them both a soft rub to the head, “Time to sleep. Good night, Koga, Adonis.”
In response they smiled drowsily, clutching the blanket. “Good night…” They murmured, surrendering to dreamland.
Rei and Kaoru then retreated to their own room, sighing with content as they snuggled under the covers. Staring into each other's eyes in silence, Rei started to play with Kaoru's hair; twirling it and tucking the locks behind his ears.
“Good night, Kaoru-kun.” Rei smiled softly, pulling Kaoru closer.
“G’night, Rei-kun.” Kaoru mumbled into the fabric of Rei’s pajamas.
Outside, the rain continued to pitter patter on the rooftop; the sound was like a gentle lullaby, lulling the family to sleep.