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"We should take it inside."
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why?"
"Miri, we don't have a cage."
"We don't need a cage, Rei-papa."
"… I doubt that."
"I'm sure it will be happy to come inside. Look, it's all cute and fluffy and–"
"Like you used to be."
"–we can– Hey!"
As Rei chuckled, the wind rustled the big leaves of the palm tree, and the colourful flowers were bobbing their heads. Waves rolled onto the shore and crashed against the wave breakers; seagulls cried while sailing invisible flow lines.
"We should get it inside, it will get cold," Miri continued, pleading.
"It's summer."
"Rei-papaaaa," Miri whined and tugged at Rei's arm. "The nights are chilly, we gotta keep it warm."
"What about its parents?"
"They're gone, I know it. I saw this little guy since morning and no one came, no single bird, I swear."
"Are you sure?" Rei looked at his daughter, who was giving him a firm look. She resembled Kazuki a lot like this, which is why it was hard to deny what she was saying.
"Totally, 100% super sure."
"Was the 'super' really necessary?"
"Yep!"
Rei sighed. "Okay, well, but we do need a cage."
"How about the empty storage room?"
Rei frowned. "There are no windows."
Miri hummed. For a moment they both looked at the bird in the grass they had found. Its small black eyes were glancing from one to the other while it was chirping to himself, fluffing its feathers.
"We can put it in a box in the kitchen."
"A box?"
"Yes! We'll leave the lid open of course," Miri added.
"And then?"
"Then?"
"Yes?"
Miri cocked her head to the side, puzzled.
"Do you want to keep the bird?" Rei eventually asked.
"Of course!" Miri brightened.
"But–"
"You also kept me, didn't you?"
"Miri," Rei said, "you're a human being, not a bird."
Miri shrugged.
"And we didn't put you in a cardboard box either, nor a cage."
Another shrug. "But you took care of me," she said and gave Rei a look that was both open and confused.
Lacking the proper words for a reply, Rei said, "Well, yes" and gazed down at the bird, which had gotten distracted by an ant and hopped a little up and down, left and right, watching the ant hurry away.
He heaved a sigh.
"Okay," he said, "let's do this."
"Do what?" A voice asked behind them.
Rei and Miri flinched before looking over their shoulders to see Kazuki parking his bike in their small garage that consisted of a selection of gardening goods and rusty buckets.
Rei and Miri exchanged a look, then decided to reply with a hasty, "Nothing."
Kazuki cocked an eyebrow. "You don't look like that." His eyes dropped to the ground around them, but Rei was sure his leg was shielding the bird from his view.
"It's nothing," Rei said, trying his best to sound casual but he knew he was failing when Miri boxed his side with her elbow. Rei gave her a look that hopefully looked like 'then do it better'.
It worked.
"We were just thinking about going to the beach and search for flotsam and jetsam."
"U–huh."
However, Rei knew his boyfriend wasn't buying it.
"You wanna join?" Rei tried to distract him .
"In your little gathering?" Kazuki pointed with his finger at the spot where the two – well, three – were standing.
"In going to the beach," Rei countered , keeping a straight face. It was very hard to do so, given that he felt the bird hopping behind him and Kazuki' s eyes boring his gaze into him as if he was able to to read his mind.
K azuki came a little closer, opened the strap of his bicycle helmet, his brows twitching. "What are you up to?" he asked.
"Nothing, Kazuki-papa," Miri chirped.
"And why are you standing in the middle of the garden on a Friday afternoon? It's hot, you know? We got about 37 degrees in the shade." And as if to underline his words, Kazuki wiped a drop of sweat off of his temple.
"The wind feels nice here." Rei already regretted saying that once the last vowel left his mouth.
"The wind, huh?" Kazuki came closer. "Let me feel that."
"No, you can't."
"And why?" Kazuki chuckled.
"This is our spot," Rei said, knowing he was childish, but fortunately Miri helped out by adding, "We were here first."
" Is this some kind of game?" Kazuki asked, puzzled.
"No."
"Yes!"
Kazuki chuckled. "Which one?"
" We were just, uh, trying to think of – " Rei searched for words, but Kazuki cocked an eyebrow.
"Didn't you want to go to the beach?"
"Right. The beach."
"And you want to take your fellow along?"
"We already invited you, Kazuki-papa."
"I meant that fellow," Kazuki said and pointed at Rei's leg.
Rei looked down and saw that the bird had made its way to curiously peek through his legs up at Kazuki. He really was a tame one.
"Did we adopt another one?"
"Hey, I'm not a bird!" Miri complained.
"Miri's right," Rei added, trying his hardest to scowl at Kazuki, who blinked, dumbfounded.
"Of course not," he said. "But why did you try to hide that bird?"
Rei and Miri looked at each other, shoulders sagging and spirits flagging.
"You would have said no if we had said we wanted to keep it, Kazuki-papa."
"It's chilly in the night," Rei added quietly.
"Mhm," Kazuki hummed, came closer an grasped Rei's shoulder and put a hand on Miri's head, tousling her hair. "So you wanted to take that bird in and take care of it?"
The two nodded.
"Cute."
Confused, Rei opened his mouth, but Kazuki already leaned forward to brush a soft kiss against his lips, then he gave Miri half a hug. His smile was calm and soft, his thumb pressed gently into Rei's arm, massaging it.
"That's very admirable of you," Kazuki said with a proud smile and quickly looked down at the bird, which was meeting his gaze, cocking its head. "But you do realise that this is Kiwi, from our neighbours? It probably fled through the open window to eat the nuts that the wild birds threw out of the feeder."
Rei stared at his boyfriend, then looked down at the bird – Kiwi, apparently – who gave him an innocent look.
"That's why it seemed so familiar!" Miri exclaimed.
"You knew?" Rei asked.
"Well, it was so tame, right?"
"Unlike you," Rei, and also Kazuki, said at once.
"Hey!" But Miri laughed soon after and squatted down. "Kiwi?" she addressed the bird. "You wanna go home now?"
Kiwi chirped and bounced up and down before flapping on Miri's outstretched hand. "Let's bring you back, hm?"
Rei watched how his daughter walked ahead, talking animatedly to the bird, who seemed to listen to every word she said.
"Cute," Kazuki said again, quieter now.
"They are," Rei agreed.
"I meant you."
Rei blinked and turned to look at his boyfriend, who wore a warm expression in his eyes.
"Miri persuaded me in taking it in. We were discussing what to do."
"Without me noticing that we got a wild animal in our house?"
"Yes."
Kazuki chuckled, then wrapped an arm around Rei's shoulder and tugged him forwards so that they were following Miri back to their house.
"I'm glad we took her in," Kazuki mumbled.
"She's not a bird."
Kazuki grinned. "I know that, Rei. Birds don't witness their parents making out in the kitchen on a regular school day."
Rei glanced at his boyfriend, then mumbled, "Couldn't help it."
"Well, not that I was opposed to that." Kazuki chuckled.
The grass was rustling under their shoes as they walked towards the backdoor.
"It was your idea back then."
"Making out?" Rei asked, confused.
"Taking her in," Kazuki corrected, smiling softly.
Rei glanced at him. "I don't regret that," he said.
Their eyes met as they stood in front of their house listening to the ocean waves, the cries of the seagulls above their heads, and their daughter's footsteps echoing from within the Nest.
"Me neither," Kazuki mumbled and nudged his forehead against Rei's temple, keeping his eyes fixed.
"I know." Rei's grin was met with a wide smirk and sparkling eyes.