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The sound of Miri’s adorable laughter could be heard throughout the entire playground as she played with all the other kids. It was a very warm sunny day out today. Rei for once was allowing himself to enjoy the nice weather. He was currently sitting on a park bench, watching Miri climb up and down everything she possibly could. She would every once in a while ask for either him or Kazuki to push her, and they would do it without any sort of hesitation. Oftentimes it has Kazuki pushing her since Rei’s right arm still had little to no movement in it. He was going to physical therapy, and while it was helping his arm slightly, he still couldn’t do much with it. So he had to get used to using his left arm for things, like making french toast, pushing Miri on the swings, and to do whatever house chores Kazuki made him do.
Rei was currently watching said man playing alongside Miri. It was honestly kind of funny watching a grown man attempting to play with his 5-year-old daughter on playground equipment that was far too small for him. He couldn’t even hold back his own smile as he watched him with admiration and love.
He and Kazuki had officially become a thing after they had decided that they would become a real family. As soon as they got home after the Christmas party, the same day that Rei shot himself in the arm to protect them, Kazuki patched both himself and Rei in their bathroom whilst Miri had fallen asleep on the ride home. He can still remember feeling Kazuki’s strong but also soft arms wrap around him, being oh so careful not to accidentally hurt him, whispering how much Rei meant to their family, to Miri, and to him. That same night, the two men shared their first ever kiss together in their bathroom, and that same night, Rei didn’t even sleep in the bathtub again. He had taken a quick liking to Kazuki’s bed and slept in the same room as him.
Kyu had warned them that some people in society wouldn’t accept them taking in a child that wasn’t even theirs and that because of this they could potentially be putting others’ lives in danger. And while it did cost the life of Miri’s mother in the process, the two former hitmen had both agreed to this being their lives now, and both of them did not regret their decisions in any way. Their family would be worth fighting for.
Rei had been so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t even sense Kazuki coming up behind him and placing both of his hands on his shoulders to plant a kiss on the younger male’s cheek, the action causing Rei to become a bit embarrassed and flustered. It wasn’t often that Kazuki would display public affection with him. He was one to keep that at home, where he could cuddle and kiss him all he wanted. Rei at first wasn’t entirely used to all this love, but this was Kazuki he was talking about, the man was like a golden retriever when it came to him and Miri, all loving and affectionate. At this point, Rei’s just gotten used to it.
“Look at our girl.” Kazuki said to his beloved partner, a smile plastering his adorable face. “She’s precious, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.” Rei simply said as he leaned back in his seat so that the back of his head was touching Kazuki’s stomach.
Rei sighed contently as Kazuki started massaging his good shoulder. While his right one had stopped hurting a long time ago, Kazuki still was cautious. He didn’t want to cause any pain to the person he loved the most. Kazuki used his free hand to slowly card his fingers through his inky black hair, making Rei lean into the touch even further. He never considered himself to be the type of person who would longed to be touched like this. He would never allow anyone to touch him this way except for Kazuki, and even Miri when she wanted to style his hair or wanted to hug him.
He trusted Kazuki’s affectionate touches, it meant that he loved him and cared for him and his well-being. He trusted his family.
Kazuki’s gentle massage on his shoulder started to tighten a bit, so much so that the tips of his fingers began to dig in his partner’s flesh. His grip tightened more and more to the point where it didn’t feel affectionate anymore. It started hurting. A hurt that felt almost too familiar for Rei.
“Ow- Kazuki, you’re starting to hurt me a little-.” Rei couldn’t even finish what he was about to say before he looked up, thinking that he was going to see Kazuki of all people, but to his shock and absolute horror, it wasn't him.
He was met with the very blank stare of the man he and Kazuki had killed the night they left. Ogino Ryo. No, he’s dead. They got rid of him for good. Why was he here? What was he doing here of all places? Ogino kept his eyes on the former Suwa heir, staring down at him like a child who had done something wrong and was about to be punished. The grip on his shoulder was still there, and had only gotten tighter and hurted more and more.
Rei had to force his eyes away from the supposed dead man to scan the playground for Kazuki and Miri. They were nowhere to be found. The playground was completely abandoned; there was no one in sight. Rei didn’t care about anyone else, though. He only cared about looking for Kazuki and Miri. And since he couldn’t find them anywhere, he felt himself grow more and more scared for them. He didn’t think he could feel this much emotion all at once.
“What’s the matter?” Ogino asks. “Looking for someone important?” Rei can practically feel the dead man’s stare on him, burning into his skin and soul. “I can assure you that they’re fine. For now.”
Rei felt his blood boil at that. “What did you do to them?”
“Don’t worry,” Rei could practically hear Ogino pull out his handgun. “You’ll see them again. Real soon.”
In one shift motion, Ogino uses the gun to smack the back of the young Suwa’s head, knocking the black haired male to the dirt ground. Except, it wasn't dirt covered ground anymore.
Rei found himself back in his old house, a place he never wanted to step foot into or even see again. He groaned as the pain in both his shoulder and the back of his head were still there.
“Get up.” Said a deep voice. Rei freezes. He knew that voice. And at that moment, Rei knew exactly where he was. His boss’s office. “I said get up. Now.”
He lifts himself up onto his knees. Rei slouches a bit, but he still makes direct eye contact with his former boss. He looks the same as the last time he saw him. And for good. But apparently, life has something different in store for him.
“How shameful.” Shigeki says to his son. “I trained you to be better than this. Throughout your whole life, you were taught not to give into your emotions. And now look at what you’ve become.”
Rei kept his glare onto his boss. “Where are they?”
Shigeki just glares even further. “Persistent, are we?” The fucking bastard doesn’t even smirk. “As Ogino said, they are fine, as of now. They won’t be for long, though.”
Rei’s eyes widened as he gripped the carpet below him. The rage within him kept on growing and growing. He was most certainly going to rip some heads off if anyone so much DARED to hurt the two most important people in his life.
“I really thought you’d give me a proper heir, you know.” Shigeki continues. “A heir made of Suwa blood. You can’t even give me that.” He scoffs. “You’re even screwing around with someone the same sex as you. You’re not only disgusting, but a disgrace to the Suwa family.” He finally relaxes once he finishes. “Not to worry, though. We have ways to break you.”
“What are you-” Rei doesn’t even get to finish before a tiny terrified voice interrupts him.
“Papa Rei?” It was Miri. Her little voice sounded so afraid. She sounded like she had been crying for a good long time. Turning around to face the young girl, Rei can see that she had dried tear streaks going down her cheeks. Her eyes were bright red and she sniffles. Ogino has his hand around her wrist, his death grip on her would most likely bruise.
“M-Miri?” He asks, his own voice cracking slightly. He hated seeing his daughter like this. He gave Ogino a death glare. “Let her go! Now!”
“This is what I was talking about, Rei.” Shigeki continues. “You’ve been playing pretend family with your so-called “partner” for far too long that it’s made you weak.” Standing up from behind his office desk and out of his chair, he walks over to where Rei has been sitting this entire time. Grabbing a fist full of black hair, he forces Rei around to face the child in front of him.
“P-Papa Rei.” Says Miri, now trembling in Ogino’s hold. “I’m scared.”
“Miri, look at me,” Rei tells her. “Everything’s going to be fine, okay?”
“But is it?” Shigeki butts in. Then, he looks up at Ogino. “Kill the girl.”
In one quick swift motion, Ogino whips out his handgun that had been hidden behind his back and aims it directly at the girl’s head. Her brown eyes widened as she realized what was going to happen to her. And so did Rei’s.
“NO!”
BANG!
The sound echoed throughout the entire office room. With just one bullet from that gun, the young girl’s life had been taken. Her blood scattered all over the carpet floor from the shot, and some of it even landed on Rei’s horrified face. Rei shouted at exactly the same time as the gun went off, but it was already too late.
Ogino dropped Miri’s limp body onto the ground in front of Rei. He kept his eyes on her motionless corpse as he felt his boss release the tight grip on his hair. With shaky arms, Rei gently scooped the little girl up and pulled her close to his body. He placed one hand on the back of her head and the other was wrapped around her. He paid no mind to the bullet hole through her head. He paid no mind to his boss’s amusement at watching his son so broken. He paid no mind to Ogino, who just watched from where he was standing. He didn’t care about anything other than his daughter who is now dead in his arms.
“Miri…” He whispered in a broken voice. He felt emotions he never knew he could feel. He felt the wetness of tears running down his face and onto Miri’s sweater which was now stained with her own blood. “Miri….please….don’t do this to me….please…”
He was never going to hear her sweet laugh, see her adorable smile, or hear her beautiful voice as she sang her favorite songs on the radio when in the car. He was never going to get hugs from her, be gifted her drawings, play Morio Kart together, cook french toast. He was never going to see her grow up, go to high school, go on her first date, even, go off to college, start a family of her own if she wanted. He was never going to watch his daughter live the long, happy life that he and Kazuki wanted her to have that they couldn’t.
“How pitiful.” Shigeki spoke as he watched his son become so broken before him. “You’ve become so vulnerable that it disgusts me.”
Rei feels himself shake even more as his boss continues, but it wasn’t out of sadness. It was anger. “I don’t even know why you would become so attached to such a peasant, let alone a small BRAT.” His boss spat out that word.
Rei’s grip on Miri tightened as he started growling to himself. He had never once felt this much intense emotion all at once. He slowly set Miri down onto the ground, gritting his teeth in rage and if his indigo eyes could turn red, they would be scarlet.
“Are you listening to me?” Shigeki asks. When Rei doesn’t respond right away, he gets angrier. “I said ‘are you listening to me’?” When he doesn’t get an answer again, he snaps. “Answer me when I’m talking to-!”
The inner rage that was building up inside of Rei was released when his boss reached an arm out to him. Rei whipped around so hard his bones would have snapped with that amount of force. He snatched his father’s wrist and used his other hand to strike the man so hard across the face. The force of the strike must have been so hard because Shigeki has tumbled to the ground, holding his jaw in his hand.
Rei attempted to launch at him again, but Ogino was faster. He grabbed Rei by the wrist with one hand and the other forced Rei head down onto the ground. Rei’s face was smashed against the carpeted floor and one hand was kept high in the air. He struggled to get free from Ogino’s grip, but everytime he did, he was forced harder into the floor. Rei kept thrashing and growling as he did.
Shigeki looked down at Rei. His eyes said “I’m going to kill you for that.” His nose has started bleeding a bit he growled at his son. He got down onto the ground where Rei was being held and looked at him, staring directly into the black haired man’s eyes.
“So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?” He asked Rei, who did nothing but look up at him with absolute rage. “Fine.” He takes out his own handgun and points it directly at Rei’s forehead, causing his eyes to widen. “This is what happens to those who betray the organization.”
BANG!
Rei shot up. He was in a cold sweat, panting, his entire body trembling, his eyes wide and scanned the room. He was no longer in his boss’s office. He was in his apartment, in his and Kazuki’s shared bedroom. The room was dark, indicating that it was still night out. Grabbing his phone next to him on the nightstand, it read “3:27 am” on the screen.
He tried to regain his breathing back to normal. It was only a dream. A very, very, very awful dream. Everytime his mind wandered back to the dream, to the image of Miri getting her head shot through, to her blood splattered everywhere, it only made things worse for him. He kept telling himself that it was only a dream and that none of it was real and that Miri was fine and she was asleep in her room. It felt all too real, though. His mind kept wandering back to the dream over and over again, and it certainly wasn’t helping him calm down, not one bit.
“Rei?” He heard Kazuki mumble. Rei looked down at his once sleeping lover to find his eyes open but still longing for sleep again. Had he accidentally woken him up? Did he jostle the bed when he sat up a bit too suddenly? Rei knew him, though. He knew that Kazuki was more of an early bird than anyone else. He knew that Kazuki was always the first to wake up, make breakfast for his family, and maybe even do a couple of small house chores.
“Rei, what’s wrong?” He heard Kazuki ask worriedly. “Did you have a bad dream? Talk to be, baby. What happened?”
While he never would openly admit it to him, Rei LOVED when Kazuki called him pet names like “baby.” Sometimes he would also call him names like “darling,” “hon,” “babe,” “sweetheart,” and so on. They never stopped. They only kept coming.
“I…” Rei tried to speak. He didn’t even notice that his voice sounded groggy and choked up. “It’s nothing, Kaz. You can go back to bed.”
“No, it’s most certainly not ‘nothing’.” Kazuki said. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” When Rei doesn’t say anything, he signs and takes Rei into his arms, pulling the younger male into a tender hug. Kazuki stroked up and down Rei’s back while his other hand brushed through his hair. “If you’re not ready to talk about it yet, I get it. Just take your time, love. I’m not going anywhere.”
That was another thing why Rei loved this man so much. He loved how Kazuki was so caring and patient when it came to him. If he was in a bad mood, Kazuki would just sit by him, cuddle him and give him plenty of kisses. If he wanted someone to hold him, Kazuki would be there in a heartbeat. This man, who has stuck by his side since their first meeting, would drop whatever he was doing just for him. Rei felt like he didn’t deserve him, at times, but he was also extremely grateful to have him in his life. And now that they were an official couple, they made sure to always be there for the other if needed.
Rei could feel himself tearing up. He couldn’t help it. He was so overwhelmed with all the emotions he was currently feeling with the nightmare and with Kazuki being so supportive, loving, and a perfect significant other. He buried his face into Kazuki’s shoulder and for once in his lifetime, allowed himself to feel the things he was feeling. To allow himself to let go.
“Shh, shh.” Kazuki whispers into his ear. “It’s okay. It’s alright, sweetheart. You can let go, it’s okay. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Kazuki never once judged Rei. He did that one time when he first saw his partner’s living conditions back when they first met, but he’s changed since then. Rei was slowly bettering himself for his family. He wasn’t being a shut-in anymore like he used to be, he was opening up to Kazuki. And Kazuki was so proud with how far Rei had come to get to this point.
Kazuki had held Rei for what felt like a long time. He slowly rocked back and forth with his arms still wrapped around his partner’s waist. Every once in a while he would plant tiny pecks on top of Rei’s head, brush his hair out of his face, and whispered sweet nothings into his ear, comforting him in every way he knew how.
“He got her.” Rei eventually said after a while. He adjusted in Kazuki’s lap so that he could look up at his beautiful face and stare into those gorgeous brown eyes he’d come to love so much.
“Who?” Kazuki asks him.
“My dad.” Rei replied. “He got Miri, in my dream. He ordered to have her shot and killed right in front of me.” He shuttered lightly and let out a shaky breath. “I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t protect her. I’d never felt so… weak. So…. worthless.”
“Oh, baby.” Kazuki said, pulling Rei closer into him, holding him and never wanting to ever let go. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. That would never happen. I know you. You’re the strongest person I know. I know you’d do anything to protect Miri. To protect me, even. To protect both of us.” He places a kiss on his forehead. “I love you. Miri loves you. We both love you so much, Rei. Don’t let anyone, not even your stupid dad, tell you otherwise.”
Rei felt the tears that were once coming down his cheeks come to a complete stop. He felt himself relax in Kazuki’s hold. He weakly brought his good arm around Kazuki’s neck, breathing in his scent, reassuring himself that Kazuki was here and that he wasn’t going anywhere. His words brought comfort to him. Kazuki was his world, his universe, his everything, the love of his life, the other father to his- no, their daughter-, his partner in crime and in real life, and Kazuki was his soul reason for living in a world that loved to just screw him over. Even when Rei was down, Kazuki was always there to pick him right back up and Rei looked at him like he hung the moon and stars in the night sky.
“Papas?” Both men must have been so distracted by the other that they didn’t even notice their little Miri enter their shared room, clutching her favorite stuffed bunny in her arms.
“Hey there, princess.” Kazuki says to his beloved daughter.
She walks over to their bed and attempts to climb up. Given that she’s much smaller than their bed, she keeps trying to hoist herself up, but with no avail. It’s Kazuki who picks her up and places her directly onto the bed in front of both of them. As soon as Rei saw her, he removed his arm that was still around his lover’s neck to envelop his daughter in a tight hug. She was a bit confused at first, but she still hugs her papa.
“Why are you up this early, baby girl?” Rei asked as he placed tiny kisses onto her head.
“I had to pee.” She answers honestly. “And I heard Papa Kazuki’s voice. I thought I heard you crying, too, so I wanted to see what was wrong.” She looks up at him. “Is Papa Rei hurt?”
“He’s okay, Miri.” Kazuki said. “Papa Rei just had a really bad dream, so we gotta help him feel better, alright?”
Miri nods her head, determined to make her Papa Rei happy again. She picks up the stuffed bunny laying on the bed and hands it to Rei.
“Here!” She says with a bright smile. “You can cuddle with BunBun for the night! She always makes me feel better when I’m scared!”
Rei laughs lightly and he pulls Miri into another hug. It wasn’t as tight as the last one, but rather, full of love. “Thank you, Miri.” He says to her. “But you and Papa Kazuki being here are enough for me.”
Kazuki smiles and embraces his little family. He pecks both of their cheeks, making Rei lean into the touch and Miri giggle at the action. It’s still hard for him to believe that life had given him a second chance at having a family of his own. In some weird, unexplained way, it felt like Yuzuko had led Rei and Miri to him when he was at his lowest. As corny as that sounds, he really did believe that. He had her to thank for all of this.
“Papas?” Miri asked her dads, who both looked down at her. “Can we all sleep together in the same bed tonight? I don’t want Papa Rei to have another bad dream.”
Both Kazuki and Rei smiled and kissed both her cheeks at the same time. “Of course you can, jelly bean. We would love you to.” Said Kazuki.
A little high pitched “arow” suddenly breaks the silence. All three of them look at the edge of the bed to see their black and white short-haired cat, Sakura, staring up at them, her green eyes watching them, as if she’s asking permission to join them.
In Rei’s opinion, getting her was the best idea ever. Kazuki was the one who found her, surprisingly. With no mother around and was left in a cardboard box, he knew how badly Rei had wanted a cat. He remembered how upset Rei had been when he had to return the one stray he brought home. Now that he and Rei had been dating for quite some time, he knew he wanted to make it up to him somehow, and what better way than to bring home a stray cat he once disagreed on? Irony sure had its ways. After getting her inside without being seen by either Rei or Miri, who were sitting at the couch playing Morio Kart, he hid her in the bathroom upstairs and gave her a warm bath in the sink. The next morning when Rei and Miri had gone out, Kazuki had started preparing everything for when they came back. Around dinner time, when they came back as promised, they saw her. A beautiful black and white ball of fluff. While Miri was squealing with absolute delight, Rei had immediately fallen in love with her right away, picking her up and cuddling with her. After introducing her to the apartment and her new family, she quickly adjusted right away. While Miri did tend to be rambunctious, she knew to be gentle with a living animal. They did teach her that, after all. They named her Sakura that night, since they adopted her in the springtime, right around the same time cherry blossoms were blooming. The following day, the family of three went out to the pet store to get supplies, like cat food, toys, a bed, a cat tower, and even a pink collar with cherry blossoms on it that even came with a cherry blossom name tag with her name on it and their address in case she got lost. When they got back, they put the collar on her, and she was officially a part of their little family. A family of three became a family of four.
“C’mon up, Sakura.” Kazuki said as he patted the bed. “You can sleep here for the night, too.”
Once she had gotten their approval, she jumped up, making a little trill sound as she did. She happily made her way over to her family and immediately makes herself comfortable right next to Rei. She paws at his arm, as if to say, “Hey, I’m here for you. Please pet me.”
He scratches her head and down her back, Sakura lifting her booty up in response. She starts purring very loudly and flops down onto her back to have her belly rubbed. Normally, cats don’t like it when you touch their bellies, but Sakura was not like other cats.
Miri giggled. She always found it funny when Sakura would flop down and expose her belly. She would say that Sakura “fell out” everytime she did this. Her and Rei both pet her super soft belly and she continues to purr more and more.
Kazuki was super glad that he decided to bring her home because, in a way, Sakura also was not only very affectionate and loving and a great playmate for Miri, she really helped Rei a lot mentally. She could always tell when he needed her. If he was lost in his own thoughts or was experiencing an awful episode, she was the first one to be at his side ready to take care of him. She helped calm him down immensely. He would pet her until either his bad thoughts went away or he regained his breathing to a normal degree.
“Let’s go back to bed.” Kazuki said with a yawn. “Miri has daycare tomorrow and I gotta get up early to make breakfast for everyone.”
Kazuki lays down on his side of the bed. Rei, still holding Miri, carefully lays himself down. He adjusts a bit so he’s not directly laying on his right arm in any way. Miri settles herself in between her papas with her stuffed rabbit still in hands and Sakura lays down next to Rei and Miri, purring and making biscuits. Kazuki brushes Rei’s hair out of his face and places a kiss on his forehead and a small one directly on his lips. He also kisses the top of Miri’s head as well as Sakura’s.
“I love you papas.” Miri says groggily as she feels herself drifting off into slumber land again.
“We love you, too, Miri.” Kazuki whispers to her as he kisses her head again.
“More than you’ll ever know.” Said Rei as he too started to drift off. All the intense emotions he was feeling earlier wore him out.
Kazuki pulled the covers over himself and everyone else. He wraps his arms around his family. He never wants to let go of this moment, to let go of this little family he and Rei formed together. He wouldn’t trade his family for anything in the world.
The morning sun shone through the window curtains. The sound of birds chirping could be heard from outside.
Kazuki was always the first to wake up. His eyes adjusted to the brightness before slowly sitting up out of bed. He stretched his arms and groaned as the morning stretches felt really good in the mornings. Once he relaxed, he looked towards his right where Rei’s side of the bed was and absolutely loved the sight before him.
Rei was still knocked out cold, his mouth ajar only a tiny bit, but he slept contently. He looked as if no more nightmares had plagued him during the rest of the night. Miri had one leg over his arm, which was draped around her and held her close. Her soft snores left her mouth as a bit of drool trailed down her chin. Sakura was still asleep on the pillow above Rei’s head, her stomach slowly rising up and down. She at some point shifted in her sleep because she was now laying on her back, her soft tummy exposed.
Leaning down, he brushes Miri’s hair out of face before giving her a kiss on her forehead. He does this same action with Rei, but also adds a kiss on his nose, cheek, and ends it off with one on the mouth.
Kazuki stretches again before standing up and quietly leaves the bedroom, being very careful not to accidentally wake anyone up. He silently shuts the door on his way out and heads down the stairs to start preparing a wonderful breakfast for his wonderful little family.