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The click of a door opening and closing wakes Shouta in the early hours of the morning. He stretches an arm out to the other side of the bed. The blanket is pushed back and the little divot in the mattress is cold. Shouta’s eyes widen and he sits up, “Katsuki?”
The clicking sound starts again followed by a soft whine. Shouta looks towards the door and finds it pushed open. He sighs and slips out the warm duvet, his sleep pants the only thing blocking out the slight chill from the night air.
Shouta walks through the open door and looks towards the stairs. The closed white baby gate almost glows in the soft light at the end of the hallway by the top of the stairs. He sighs a breath of relief and turns away from the stairs when a clicking sound permeates the silence.
Katsuki stands in front of the last door upstairs. He’s on his tippy toes with his little arm stretched up above his head so he can grip the door handle. He pulls the handle down and pushes his body against the door, swinging it open. His hand drops from the door and he walks a little into the room.
“Pah?” Katsuki whispers. He whines at the lack of response.
“Katsuki,” Shouta says, walking towards him. “Sweetheart, are you looking for Papa in the music room?”
Katsuki turns around and stares at Shouta who’s crouched in the doorway.
“Pah,” Katsuki’s whines.
“I know, Kit-kat, I know. Papa will be back soon, only three more days,” Shouta comforts, holding his arms open.
“Pah,” Katsuki whines once more before walking into Shouta’s arms.
“Shh, it’s okay, Kit-kat. Papa will be back soon.” Shouta rubs his hand up and down Katsuki’s back. “Let’s snuggle back into bed, okay?”
Shouta picks Katsuki up and hugs him to his chest. Katsuki lays his head on Shouta’s shoulder and slips his thumb into his mouth.
“I miss Papa too, Kit-kat, but he’ll be back before we know it,” Shouta whispers as he walks back to his room.
He pulls the duvet back and slips underneath it. His head rests on the pillows as he lays on his side, Katsuki snuggled in his arms. He reaches above Katsuki, patting around behind him, searching for his pacifier. Once he finds it, he gently coaxes Katsuki into switching his thumb for the elephant pacifier.
“Here, sweetheart, use this instead of your thumb please,” Shouta says, holding the pacifier for Katsuki to see.
Katsuki drops his thumb from his mouth and opens it for Shouta, letting him slip the pacifier in. “Thank you.”
Shouta rubs Katsuki’s back as they both close their eyes, drifting back to sleep until a more appropriate time for the living.
***
“Dah!” Katsuki shouts, slapping his hands against Shouta’s chest. “Dah!”
Shouta tilts his chin down, watching Katsuki’s eyes flit around his face as he continues hitting his chest.
Katsuki’s eyes pause on Shouta’s now open ones. He stops hitting him and instead stretches his arms along Shouta’s stomach. He lays his head down between his arms, looking up with a smile. “Dah.”
“Good morning, Kit-kat,” Shouta says and rubs his hand over Katsuki’s back before letting it rest there. “I know you wanted to wake me up, sweetheart, but there are better ways than hitting me.”
“Dah,” Katsuki whines and nuzzles his face against Shouta’s stomach.
Shouta’s stomach rumbles and Katsuki jerks his head away. He stares wide-eyed at Shouta then looks back at his stomach before bursting into giggles.
“Was that funny, Kat?” Shouta asks, a smile on his face.
Katsuki just continues laughing and rubs his face against Shouta’s stomach.
“Come on, let’s get some breakfast cause I’m hungry,” Shouta says, pulling Katsuki into his lap as he sits up. “You hungry too, Kit-kat?”
Katsuki whines, nuzzling his face into Shouta’s neck.
Shouta stands, holding Katsuki on his hip, and grabs a t-shirt from the pile on top of his dresser. He walks down the hallway with Katsuki making noises into his neck.
“I know, sweetheart, I know,” Shouta comforts, bouncing Katsuki in his arms softly. He unlocks the baby gate and starts downstairs, re-locking it once he’s on the other side.
The morning light filters through the curtains covering the sliding glass door in the kitchen. Shouta pulls the curtains to the side with his hand holding the shirt before setting Katsuki into his high chair.
“Daah,” Katsuki whines, reaching for Shouta, “daaah.”
“You’re okay, Kit-kat, Dada’s gotta make breakfast.” Shouta slips the black t-shirt over his head, sighing softly to himself. It’s going to be a long day.
Breakfast was a simple task, a mundane task. One Shouta can lose himself in for a brief moment of time. He takes the time to collect himself from the past few long nights, the lack of sleep is starting to creep up on him.
He cuts apples and grapes into slices before filling one of the colourful silicone bowls with the fruit and another with some peanut butter. “Here, Kat,” Shouta says, sticking the bowls to the tray attached to Katsuki’s chair. “Want some crackers too?”
Katsuki doesn’t say anything, already shoving apple slices in his mouth. Shouta huffs a laugh at his son looking like a chipmunk. “Careful, Kat, you don’t want to choke,” Shouta warns as he turns to grab the crackers from the counter.
Now that Katsuki has food in front of him, Shouta can take in the peaceful early morning. He shares the fruit and crackers with his son, the rising sun basking them in its warmth.
“Why don’t we do something fun today, Kit-kat?” Shouta asks once the bowls are empty.
Katsuki tilts his head to the side and flaps his hands in front of his chest.
“We could just go for a drive and just see where the day takes us.”
“Cah?”
“Yeah, we’ll be in the car,” Shouta says, a small smile rests on his face as he runs a hand through Katsuki’s spiky bed head, brushing it out of his eyes.
“Cah!” Katsuki shouts, rocking side to side.
“You like car rides don’t you, sweetheart?” Shouta remarks.
Shouta and Hizashi discovered Katsuki’s love of car rides one night when they couldn’t get him to fall asleep. It was during the first few weeks Katsuki started living with them full-time so they were a bit frazzled. Hizashi suggested they go on a drive as he heard from the Todorokis that sometimes car rides helped them get their children to fall asleep. Though Katsuki didn’t fall asleep, he calmed down and stared out the window in soft wonder, making quiet noises to himself.
“Cah!” Katsuki shouted again, reaching for Shouta.
Shouta laughs, smiling at his antics, “Yes, sweetheart, we’re going in the car.”
“Cah!” He shouted again, stretching his arms further towards Shouta.
Shouta stands and lifts Katsuki from his chair. He rests him on his hip with one arm and gathers the dishes with his unoccupied hand, placing them in the sink to be washed later. Katsuki hums to himself, a piece of Shouta’s hair twirls in his hand and his head bobs side to side.
“Are you excited, sweetheart?” Shouta asks, unlocking the baby gate at the top of the stairs.
Katsuki squeals in response, his legs kicking out a few times. His hand tugs on the hair wound around his fingers.
“Ah, gentle, sweetheart,” Shouta reminds, loosening Katsuki’s grip on his hair.
Shouta cleans both of them up in the bathroom first. He washes their faces and hands, and brushes their teeth and hair. He gets Katsuki dressed first, in soft gray sweatpants and a dark green plush knit sweater. Katsuki fusses at being set down on his parents bed when it’s Shouta’s turn to get dressed.
“Dah,” Katsuki whines, reaching for him.
“Oh, Kit-kat, you okay,” Shouta comforts. He steps into a pair of black joggers and grabs a navy hoodie hanging on the back of his door, slipping it over his head. “All done, sweetheart.” He picks Katsuki up and spins in a circle before settling him on his hip. “Now let’s go on an adventure.”
Shouta doesn’t have a clue on what that adventure is yet, but taking a drive and seeing where the day takes them is a good start. Anything to get out of the house and Katsuki’s mind of Hizashi being away on his business trip.
They sit on the steps by the front door and Katsuki passes his orange converse to Shouta. He helps him fit his feet into the correct shoes and do up the velcro before slipping his own on. Shouta grabs their travel bag by the door they take with them anytime they leave the house. He holds Katsuki’s hand as they head to the yellow SUV sitting in the driveway.
Shouta solely blames Hizashi for having a car with such an atrocious colour.
“Cah!” Katsuki cheers, looking up at Shouta.
“Yeah, we’re going in the car, sweetheart.” Shouta sets the bag on the floor of the car and then lifts Katsuki into the car. He buckles him into his car seat in the middle of the back row and slips an orange beanie with a pompom on his head. Shouta also covers him with the small weighted blanket they keep for him in the car. Katsuki starts to fuss when he pulls away so he grabs a pacifier from the bag and offers it to him.
He snaps a picture of Katsuki cuddled up in his car seat with his matching orange hat and pacifier to send to Hizashi.
Shouta ♡
(picture of Katsuki)
Zashi ♡
OMG HE LOOKS SO CUTE ❤️❤️❤️
Shouta ♡
He misses you
He was looking for you in the music room last night
Zashi ♡
I miss him too!! \(//∇//)\
I miss you too Shou
Shouta ♡
Love you Zashi
Zashi ♡
I love you too (^з^)~♡
Shouta pockets his phone and slides into the driver’s seat. “Ready to go, sweetheart?” He asks looking back in the rearview mirror. Katsuki waves his arms above his head and squeals around the pacifier.
They drive along the backroads, taking in the peaceful scenery and quiet of the countryside. Katsuki hums as he stares out the window at the forest and fields lining the road. Eventually, the trees and dirt give way to the ocean side, water stretching as far as the eye can see. Shouta turns down to drive along the beachside so Katsuki can see the swells in the water up close.
“Dah!” Katsuki squeals, looking out the window at the small waves. “Dah!”
Shouta looks back at him with a smile, “I see, Kit-kat. Aren’t the waves cool?”
“Dah!” Katsuki repeats, tugging on the straps of his seat.
“Kat, let's not pull on the seatbelt, ok?” Shouta says.
“Daaaah,” he whines, giving one last tug on the straps.
“You’re okay, sweetheart,” Shouta says as he parks on the shoulder of the road. He gets out and walks around to open the back door on the passenger side. Katsuki huffs when Shouta unbuckles his seat belt and pulls him into his arms. He wiggles in Shouta’s arms, whining and reaching towards the water, “Ah ah ah.”
“You want to go for a walk on the beach?” Shouta asks and tightens his hold on Katsuki as he leans forward. “Woah, easy there, Katsuki. You don’t want to fall.”
Katsuki huffs but stops squirming. Shouta tucks his pacifier away so it’s safe in the car before closing the doors. He walks down the small grass slope from the car to the sand before setting Katsuki down. “Good job, sweetheart. Thank you for being patient with Dada,” Shouta compliments. “Ready to explore now?”
Katsuki hums and walks away in the direction of the water.
Shouta follows at a slower pace, letting him explore at his own pace. When they reach where the tide runs up along the sand, Katsuki crouches down and pokes at the water when it rises up the beach to him. The water licks the edge of Shouta and Katsuki’s shoes when a bigger wave rolls up the beach.
“Wanna walk in the water, Katsuki?” Shouta asks.
Katsuki looks up at Shouta before going back to poking at the water. Shouta takes his own shoes and socks off, tucking the socks into the shoes, and steps into the water. The sun hasn’t been out long enough to warm up the water, leaving the night’s chill to nip at his toes.
Katsuki stares at Shouta’s feet in the water before looking at his own. “Wanna join me, Kat?” Shouta asks, stepping out of the water.
Katsuki sits down and sticks his feet up towards Shouta. He laughs at his son’s antics, bending down to undo the velcro and slip his shoes and socks off. Katsuki slowly lowers his feet and lets the water brush against his toes. He squeals as the tide tickles his toes, a smile on his face.
Shouta steps back into the water after setting their shoes onto sand. Katsuki looks up at Shouta and reaches his hands out to him, “Ah, ah.”
“Want help up, sweetheart?” Shouta asks, taking hold of his hands.
Katsuki grips onto Shouta’s hands for balance and places his feet into the sand. Not even a second after his feet have touched the sand, he’s pulling on Shouta’s arms and sticking his legs back into the air, trying to get his feet as far from the sand as possible.
“Woah, you okay, Kat?” Shouta asks as Katsuki whines at him and pulls on his hands. Shouta grabs Katsuki under his armpits and lifts him onto his hip.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Katsuki kicks his feet around before settling against Shouta and twirling his black hair around his fingers. “Do you want to stand in the water, Kat?”
Katsuki hums against his shoulder and continues to play with his hair. He doesn’t protest as Shouta lowers him towards the water, but when his feet touch the sand at the bottom he screams and scrunches his legs up.
“Oh, you don’t like the sand,” Shouta says. He rests Katsuki back on his hip and walks to their shoes. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, the sand is icky isn’t it?”
Katsuki hums against his shoulder, twirling his hair again.
Shouta sets his phone on their shoes then walks a couple steps into the water again. He holds Katsuki against his chest and sits down with his legs stretched out in front of him.
“Here, you can stand on my legs so the sand doesn’t touch you,” Shouta says, helping Katsuki balance on his thighs. Katsuki holds his hands tight and looks at Shouta, his little face scrunched in a pout. “You’re okay, Katsuki. I’m not going to let you fall.”
Katsuki watches the water move around his ankles and then looks back at Shouta before letting go of one hand. He crouches, dipping his fingers into the water. He pauses then submerges his whole hand. He looks at Shouta and slaps the water, splashing him. He giggles at the face Shouta gives him: his eyes wide and mouth open.
“Oh, sweetheart, it’s on,” Shouta teases, pushing a small wave towards Katsuki. It crashes against his calf and he squeals, slapping the water at Shouta again.
They continue their water fight, filled with squeals and giggles until Katsuki’s starts shivering from the cold.
“Okay, Kit-kat time to get out before you turn into a popsicle on me.” Shouta walks them to the beach, grabs their shoes and Katsuki’s sweater and heads for the car. He sets Katsuki on the back seat and digs his change of clothes out of the travel bag. “Let’s get you changed into some dry clothes then we’ll go home.”
Once Katsuki’s in dry clothes and buckled in his car seat, Shouta changes into a pair of dry joggers kept in the travel bag for emergencies and takes his wet sweater off.
When they get back home, Shouta sets the bag by the door and takes all the wet clothes with him and Katsuki to the bathroom. He runs a warm bath for Katsuki, hoping to erase the chill from his bones.
Katsuki hums at the warm water and doesn’t put up a fuss as Shouta washes the ocean’s water from his hair and body. He dries and dresses Katsuki in comfy clothes then sets up a show on his ipad in his room before taking his own shower.
Katsuki is curled up around his ipad on the plush rug on his floor when Shouta re-enters his room now dried and dressed as well. “Ready for lunch, sweetheart?” Shouta asks, crouching down next to Katsuki.
He sets his ipad down and follows Shouta to the kitchen. He stands on his stool and watches Shouta the whole time he’s making their food.
Not wanting to do anything extravagant, Shouta makes them both a sandwich and cuts up a few apples to go in a bowl. He plates their sandwiches on the same plate and carries the bowl and plate to the sliding doors. “Let’s eat in the hammock today, Kit-kat,” Shouta says, opening the door with his forearm.
Shouta sets the plate and bowl on the small table by the end of the hammock then turns to close the door. He sits in the hammock then helps Katsuki climb in next to him. Katsuki twists and turns till he faces Shouta. He leans back against the fabric behind him, Shouta’s weight propping his side up for him. Shouta passes Katsuki a half of a sandwich to start with and then grabs one for himself.
The sun’s high in the sky, warming the boys rocking gently in the hammock as they eat their lunch. Shouta watches as peanut butter smears on Katsuki’s cheeks as eats with a fond smile.
Even though the day didn’t start on the right foot, it just may end on the right one. Bad moments will come and go, but that doesn’t mean the whole day needs to turn into a bad one. Sometimes a little adventure is all that’s needed. Shouta’s glad their first beach trip went well and they’ll have to go again when Hizashi returns.