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“Daddy!”
Kaito woke up. Turning around groggily, he saw the small, shivering girl standing beside the bed. Looking at him with red-rimmed eyes, she clutched the bedsheets in her tiny fingers.
“It chased me and tried to eat me and-and you and Papa were gone-Daddy, I’m scared!”
With a wail, she burst into fresh tears. Sitting up, Kaito scooped up his daughter and cuddled her close to his chest. He gently rocked her the same way he used to when she was a baby and it soothed her almost immediately. She clung to his shirt, her sobs dying down into whimpers. Kaito gave her a loving smile.
“It was just a bad dream. It wasn’t real.”
“No! It’s real! I saw!”
Internally sighing, he placed her down on his lap.
“Ophie, there’s nothing there.”
Sulking, she shook her head, scrunching up her hands into fists.
“I checked, remember? Before you went to bed?”
And every other night this week, Kaito thought, hoping the weariness would not show on his face. He had tried everything to convince her she was safe from non-existent, closet-dwelling monsters, and now she was having nightmares.
Ophie stared up at him, eyes wide and nose sniffling, and he was thrown back to the first time he held her. She had been so tiny and perfect. As he had watched her sleep so soundly in his arms, Kaito became hyperaware of how utterly defenceless she was. At that moment, he had made a silent vow to protect her no matter what.
Seeing her shivering and afraid, he felt like he had failed her. How was he supposed to keep her safe from bad dreams?
“Closet Monster rearing its ugly head again?”
Kokichi crawled out from under the covers and sat beside him. Ophie nodded, tears beading in the corners of her eyes as she crept off Kaito’s lap and curled into his. He wrapped his arms around her in a big, cuddly hug.
“Is it still there?”
She gave him a worried nod. Kaito eyed his husband disapprovingly.
“It’s not there, because it’s not real.”
“Hm, I’ll be the judge of that.”
Giving Ophie one last squeeze, he passed her back to Kaito and leapt out of bed. Kokichi stomped to the entrance of their bedroom. He stood in it, glaring menacingly at something down the hall.
“I see you Closet Monster!” Kokichi announced with a dramatic flair, pointing with an accusatory finger, “If you mess with Ophie, you’ll have to face the wrath of the DICE’s fearless leader!”
Letting out an intense war cry, he raced down the hall. With their daughter distracted by the spectacle, Kaito rolled his eyes. Of course, this was how it was going to go. It did not seem very psychology-backed parenting manual approved.
They waited for Kokichi to reappear. After a few minutes had passed, Ophie turned and gazed up at him, mystified.
“Where’s Papa?”
Kaito shrugged in response. He had a feeling this was going to be a whole thing.
There was a spectacular scream that caused them both to turn their attention back to the door. Kokichi stuck his head around the corner, gripping the doorway tightly. His face was twisted with fear as his body was tugged by some apparently unseen force behind him.
“No! It got me! The Closet Monster it’s – it’s gonna pull me into the closet! Noooooo!”
Feeling Ophie freeze up in his arms, Kaito shot him a glare from across the room. He was already sure this was going to be the root cause of several years of therapy.
Kokichi went still, panting, and Kaito thought he might have come to his senses.
“Okay, I think it’s gone.” He whispered.
Above his head, a sock puppet slowly slid into existence. It had big, googly eyes and a floppy tongue. Ophie dissolved into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth with her hands. Even Kaito couldn’t help but smirk. Kokichi noticed their reactions, frowning.
“What? What is it?”
The Closet Monster opened its big mouth and latched onto Kokichi’s head. Eyes widening, he let out a dramatic cry as the puppet pulled him behind the wall with a mighty yank. They watched as Kokichi, attempting to fight off this very real threat, flailed various limbs in front of the open door. At one point, the sock puppet had him by the throat in an iron grip, choking him in a way that made Ophie almost howl with laughter.
“Damn you, Closet Monster!” Kokichi gasped, trying to wrench the sock away, “Although I am supremely powerful, you are still too strong for me! Luckily I have back up in the form of one of the universe’s most unstoppable heroes. He will blast you into oblivion!”
Their eyes met before Kokichi hauled himself out of sight. Taking that as a sign he was needed, Kaito kissed the top of Ophie’s head.
“I guess I better go rescue Papa.”
He placed her onto the bed and wrapped a blanket around her before turning dramatically to the doorway, striking a pose.
“A creature of darkness is no match for the brightness of Kaito Momota, luminary of the stars!”
Ophie began to cheer as he rounded the corner and out of her line of sight. Kaito wrapped his arms around Kokichi, nuzzling against the back of his head tenderly.
“Unhand me fiend!” Kokichi shouted, before lowering his voice into an affectionate purr, “You can do that for as long as you want though.”
Chuckling, Kaito stroked a hand along his side.
“What happened to fighting the Closet Monster? I thought-”
He squinted at the puppet on Kokichi’s hand. Its left eye was starting to sag.
“Is that one of my socks?”
Kokichi paused, glanced at the Closet Monster and shrugged.
“It was.”
Kaito grabbed his waist, lifting him up with ease.
“Wow, so eager!” Kokichi whispered playfully, “You really can’t get enough of me, huh?”
“Q-quit it and let me rescue you!”
Grunting with feigned effort, he stepped in front of the doorway so Ophie could see him clutching Kokichi.
“I-I have him!”
Kaito listened to her giggle as he struggled to pull him away from their unseen foe. Kokichi yanked himself forward, and Kaito followed along, nearly falling on top of him in the process.
“I will devour you!”
Kaito leant back as the Closet Monster lunged forward, licking his cheek messily. It froze before spluttering and coughing in agony, its little socky body quivering.
“Ugh, ough – never mind! You taste awful!”
Staring deep into the puppet’s googly eyes, Kaito leant in close and bit the Sock Monster’s nose. It hung in the air in stunned silence before letting out a horrified squeal. There was a thump from the room. Ophie had rolled off the bed, her body wracking with uncontrollable laughter.
Kaito puffed out his chest and clutched the howling sock puppet by the wrist, silencing it.
“You’ve just had a taste of justice, now get ready for the main course!”
The two of them continued the silly charade, yelling out occasional one-liners and tussling with the sock puppet. Their daughter was engrossed in the intense storyline, shouting with glee and clapping her hands as the epic battle ensued.
After several rounds of intense scuffling, Kaito could feel himself losing steam. As much fun as it was, it was also two in the morning. Sensing this, Kokichi stuck the sock out into the doorway, throwing back its head in a maniacal cackle.
“MUHAHAHA! I have defeated them both. Now nothing will stop me from taking over the universe!”
There was a sharp gasp followed by small, angry stomps. Ophie stepped into the hallway and struck her own heroic pose.
“Naughty Closet Monster!” She cried. “You leave Papa and Daddy alone!”
She pulled the sock puppet off Kokichi’s hand and began throttling it with the unnerving intensity of a professional killer. When she was done, she dropped the sock to the floor, glaring at it icily. With one slow, deliberate motion she stepped on its head. One of its googly eyes popped off and clattered across the floor as she rubbed the ball of her foot into it. Ophie walked backwards, observing for any signs of movement. When it continued to lie motionless, she threw her arms in the air.
“Yay, it’s dead now!”
She smiled brightly up at them. They both stared at her.
“Uh, yay?”
“And that’s the last time we ever let Maki babysit you.”
She let out a playful giggle and Kaito picked her up. Ophie leant against his shoulder, snuggling close. He heard her let out a yawn and stroked the back of her head.
“Ready for bed, starshine?”
She made a little, tired noise and buried her face into his neck. Kaito began to walk her back to her room when she let out a whine, reaching out for their bedroom.
“Wanna stay with you and Papa!”
“Big girls sleep in their own beds.”
“Aw, but Daddy! Pleaaaase?”
She gave Kaito a big, wet puppy-dog eyed look. Wanting some backup, he turned to Kokichi only to see he was giving the exact same expression. He was hopelessly outnumbered, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Okay, just for tonight.” He said, smiling at her.
Ophie cuddled up to Kaito as he brought her back. She held her hands out to Kokichi who was now standing up on the bed, arms outstretched.
“Throw her over.”
“Daddy, throw me!”
“I’m not throwing you!”
Kokichi seized Ophie and pulled her into a big hug before flinging himself and her back onto the mattress. She laughed, letting out a shrill squeal as he began to pepper her face with kisses.
“How does it feel knowing you’ve vanquished one of the most powerful creatures to ever roam the land?”
“Sleepy!”
She laid back on the pillow, rubbing her eyes and snuggling up to Kokichi. Kaito looked on as they whispered to each other, giggling. Smiling, he got under the covers and moved in close, wrapping his arms around both of them and pulling them into a tight squeeze.
As he was about to turn off the lamp, Ophie wriggled out of the covers.
“Where are you going?”
Ophie crawled over Kaito and ran to the closet doors. Opening them, she searched around with deep intent. Satisfied, she leapt back onto the bed.
“Nothing there! Papa and Daddy are safe!”
She wiggled into the small, empty space between them, closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep almost immediately.
“Huh.”
Kokichi stretched and relaxed against the mattress.
“See? I know what I’m doing.”
“At least one of us does.” Kaito sighed.
“Hey – don’t go selling yourself short.”
“You were the one who got her to sleep.”
Kaito tucked Ophie in, and she rolled around, cuddling up close to him.
“Yeah, but who did she go to when she woke up? Who checks her closet for monsters? I set them up, you knock them down. That’s what makes us such a great team, right?”
Carefully leaning over their sleeping girl, Kaito kissed him.
“Thanks, I needed that.”
“You know,” Kokichi said softly, laying back down, “Ophie just told me there’s this asshole who lives under her bed. Do you wanna beat him up tomorrow night?”
Kaito frowned.
“Depends - are you going to destroy my other sock?”
Kokichi gestured to the mangled remains of the Closet Monster in the centre of their bedroom.
“I mean, you don’t really have much use for it now, do you?”
Considering this, Kaito gave his husband a wink.
“Well, in that case, it sounds like a date to me.”