Work Text:
“OKAASON!”
The scream that echoed through the whole house instantly caused all the hair on your forearms to stand on end, and despite your bleary state both coffee cup and pot were abandoned on the counter as you rushed to find the source of the cry.
“Megumi? Where are you?” You called, trying to keep the anxiety out of your tone, even as it threatened to overwhelm you when you heard muted sobs coming from the back patio.
“Megumi?”
“In here.” He hiccupped from the mud room, door slightly ajar allowing you to push it fully open and take in the scene before you. Megumi sat on the floor in front of the sliding door to the backyard. His little form was shaking uncontrollably as he sobbed, hands clutched desperately in the fur of Satoru’s seeing eye dog, Yuki. Yuki, whose tail was wagging in greeting, the very tip of it covered in blood and staining his white fur, creating a bright red mural on the glass door.
You crouched down to be on the boy’s level, allowing your hands to mindlessly wander to Yuki’s head, giving the dog a pat. However, your complete focus was on your crying son, his eyes red and watery as he looked up at you, lips wobbling with the threat of more sobs.
Before you could say anything or ask what happened he broke down in babbles, “I’m so-so sorry Okaason I di-didn’t, I didn’t mean to, you have, have to tell him I didn’t mean to!”
“Hey, shh sh, it’s okay bub.” You cooed, drawing the boy close to your side, not allowed to fully bring him into your lap as his little hands were still clutched desperately in the white fur. Megumi hardly heard you, desperate little hiccups shaking his voice even as he tried to explain.
“I was just letting him out, because he was waiting at the door, and I didn’t- I didn’t want the cold to get, get in!” He sobbed, dropping his head down to rest on Yuki’s back, “I didn’t see his tail until I shut it! I didn’t mean to I am sorry- sorry!”
“Shh, shh it’s going to be okay; I know you didn’t mean to my love, it was just an accident.” Your heart ached hearing his sobs but you held him close, hoping to comfort him and reassure him that despite the injury Yuki would be okay.
“I know it’s scary seeing so much blood, but Yuki is going to be okay I promise.” You shifted one of your hands from around his little frame and rubbed his back in soothing figure eights, feeling his breath stutter with each shaky cry. “First I’ll take a look at his tail and then if it’s as big of a cut as I think it is we will take him to a doctor who will fix him right up, promise.”
Megumi nodded his head in the dog’s fur, eyes squeezing shut tightly, salty tears being dried by Yuki unknowingly. You took the moment to look over at the tail which was now resting on the floor. It was certainly bleeding a fair amount but not to the extent that would need him to be rushed anywhere. However, you knew that with all the fur in the way it would be hard to determine how bad the injury really was.
Continuing your soothing circles on the boys back you hummed gently to get his attention, “We are going to take good care of Yuki promise, I just need to go get Satoru-“
“You have to tell him I didn’t mean to!” Megumi practically shouted, pushing himself up from where he was laying on the dog’s back, eyes wide and panicked as he looked at you, one of his hands finally leaving Yuki’s fur to grab onto your forearm tightly.
“He’ll know that bub.” You comforted, grabbing his hand and holding it in yours.
“But Yuki is his working dog, he needs him.” Megumi began, beginning to open up to why the injury had him so upset, “He is going to hate me.” He choked out, burying his face back into Yuki’s back.
“Megumi look at me.” You spoke, trying to keep your voice gentle despite the importance of what you were about to tell him. He turned his head to the side to look at you with one eye, wariness apparent on his features. “Satoru loves you, desperately, he and I both do. He will understand that this was just an accident and that you were trying to keep the cold out of the house while Yuki went and did his business, which is something we have asked you to do. I promise, he won’t be mad. Okay?”
Megumi’s lip wobbled but he nodded into the fur, pulling his hand from yours to stroke down Yuki’s back gently.
“I am going to go get him, just stay here with Yuki till we get back, okay?”
“Kay.” Megumi mumbled, not bothering to watch as you got up to head to your and Satoru’s shared bedroom where not fifteen minutes before you had left him curled up under the comforters promising a warm cup of coffee and some more cuddles.
You softly pushed open the door, eyes tracking Satoru’s movements as he shifted his upper body to tilt in your direction. “Did you get lost between the spoons and the grounds sweetheart?” He called teasingly as his eye lids fluttered softly, a yawn forcing him to close them completely before opening them once more. Striking blue eyes stared in your direction, aimed just over your shoulder, the only clue that he couldn’t actually see you.
“We had a bit of an accident.” You spoke softly, lightly treading over to his side of the bed and sitting down next to him. He frowned and shifted, pulling himself into an upright position, barely feeling around for your hand before taking it in one of his own.
“I did hear a yell, is Megumi okay?”
“He is, though very emotionally distressed. He let Yuki out this morning and accidently slammed the end of his tail in the sliding door.”
Satoru didn’t respond right away, hand squeezing yours softly. When you didn’t continue, he glanced in your direction, eyes hazy and unfocused but still looking at your own, “Is that all?”
“There’s a decent amount of blood Toru,” you whispered, squeezing his hand when he took in a sharp breath, “But it’s not gushing or anything, however with all of his fur I don’t think we are going to be able to fully determine the damage unless we take him to the vet.”
“Yeah okay,” Satoru replied in a hushed tone, “And Megumi?”
“He is really shaken up and guilty about it. He kept asking me to make sure you knew it was an accident. I think he’s scared you are going to be angry.”
Satoru scoffed and you continued, “You and I both know the adjustment period is still ongoing, he’s going to be more sensitive around this type of thing than we want him to be. I also think it’s different because Yuki is not just a pet, Megumi knows you need him to get around.”
Satoru nodded, “I’ll talk to him,” his mouth was pursed into a thin line before splitting into an obnoxious grin, “In the meantime will you lead me around?” he asked, grin turning into a wide smile when you scoffed in his face.
“I know you know your way around the house idiot.” You replied, pushing his shoulder gently in mock rebuke.
He feigned a hurt gasp, clutching his chest, “You would deny a blind man aid, after he loses his trusted seeing eye dog?”
Before you can reply with your own witty remark the door is nudged open by Yuki’s nose and Megumi’s panicked voice is heard down the hall as he yelps ‘Yuki come back!’ Satoru laughs as his dog pushes his snout into the man’s hand, rubbing up and down his head affectionately.
“I am sorry!” Megumi blubbers, standing hesitantly in the doorway, little hands clutching the wood of the frame. “I tried to keep him there, but he wouldn’t stay still.”
“It’s okay,” you turned toward him, “I assume Yuki still thinks he has to get Satoru’s lazy butt out of bed.”
“Hey!” Satoru groaned, flopping back down on the bed dramatically. “I am not lazy, is it a sin to want to spend some extra time in bed with my wife?”
“Only when emergencies are happening sweetheart.” You retorted, eyeing the blood now seeping into the carpet as Yuki wagged his tail happily, soaking up the attention Satoru was paying to him absent mindedly.
Megumi was quiet during your exchange, but you and Satoru’s attention was returned to the young boy when a sob caught in his throat. “I’m really sorry!” He blurted out before racing back down the hall, the sound of a door opening and shutting following shortly after.
Satoru’s head cocked in the direction of the sound, before he began to swing his legs over the side of the bed, gently pushing Yuki out of the way so as not to step on him. “I’ll go talk to him,” He spoke as he padded over toward you, albeit with only a slight hesitancy, unsure if you two had left any objects on the bedroom floor. “Will you get Yuki loaded in the car?”
“Course.” You whispered, wrapping one arm around him when he leaned into your side and placed a chaste kiss on top of your head. “I’ll come get you both when I’m done.”
“Thennn will you guide me to the car?”
“Woof.”
---
Satoru wasn’t born blind.
Freak accident, took his eyes and in turn his sight at the ripe age of sixteen. And while he is now good and truly 100% blind, he does remember wisps of images from before; what the light looked like reflecting off of your hair, smiles accompanied by laughter of friends whose faces have fuzzed over in his mind, and the angry scowls of children who he was positive hated his guts for no other reason than his existence.
Without being able to see, Satoru can tell Megumi is looking at him the same way.
“Go away.” Megumi mumbled halfheartedly into his pillow; little voice still shaky with tears.
Satoru tries really hard to rein in the smart quip he wants to throw back at the young boy, taking a deep breath before plopping down where he thinks the edge of Megumi’s bed is and letting out a dramatic sigh as he does so.
“Can’t do that kid, Mum would be mad if I left you in here to mope, and you and I both don’t want that do you?”
“Depends, she wouldn’t be mad at me now would she.”
“Ouch.” Satoru grasps at his chest in mock agony, “Cold little man, that’s just cold.”
Every time Megumi hits him with one of his zingers, he hears your words in the back of his head, “It’s a good thing he’s onery with you.” You had told him, smiling at his indignation. He remembers sputtering, voice pitched and high when he demanded, “and how is that possible?” But your smile had simply softened and you shook your head gently at his antics, “Because it means he feels safe enough to do so.”
Right. He had to let that sentiment be his guiding light in the dark abyss that seemed to be Megumi’s approval.
And despite Megumi’s sharp words Satoru can still hear him sniff almost every second, trying and failing to keep his nose free of that clear liquid that builds up when one cries. Satoru would know. He sighs softly, wishing he had half of his wife’s ability to get kids to like him. When they had both decided to take Megumi in after his parents had died in a car accident neither of them, mostly Satoru admittedly, hadn’t known what he was getting into.
Megumi had taken to his wife like bee to honey, clinging to her at every given moment, and snubbing his nose at Satoru every time he tried to initiate contact.
Their adoption counselor assured him this was normal and would pass, but three years later things didn’t seem to be changing between the two despite all of Satoru’s attempts.
However, he would keep trying, he was nothing if not persistent and unable to back down from a challenge, no matter the difficulty. It had gotten him this far, despite his disability, how hard could parenting be?
“I’m not mad at you, I hope you know.” He whispers into the otherwise quiet room, “I know what happened was an accident and me above all people should know that those just happen sometimes.”
Megumi is quiet, which he determines is better than his usual, ‘please stop talking Gojo-san.’ Satoru is adding the ‘please’ in his head to comfort his dwindling ego. However, as the silence continues, he almost wishes the kid had told him to fuck off in much more PG language just so he could ask you to continue the conversation he was obviously lacking in skills to finish.
No, he could do this, he had to do this. This was a chance to prove to Megumi that yes despite Yuki’s importance in Satoru’s life, Megumi would always come first. Always. He was just having a hard time putting the sentiment into words.
Before he could even formulate the words in his head let alone allow them to spill from his mouth you opened the door with a soft knock, “You boys ready?”
Satoru could feel as the boy he had been sitting besides, left the bed with a soft ‘yes’ and a gentle sniff, the sounds of his footfalls fading as he walked down the hall.
“So,” your voice brought his attention back to you, as does the feeling of your arm brushing his when you sit down beside him. Your touch helped dissipate some of his frustration from the half-baked, never finished conversation with his adopted son, “Good conversation?”
Aaand there it was again.
He groaned and buried his face in his hands, rubbing his useless eyes in irritation, “I just don’t know what I am doing.” He grumbled, slumping into your side, and allowing your soothing hands to ease the tense muscles in his back.
“You’ll get it, promise.” You whispered, “But for now we should probably get Yuki to the vet before he bleeds out in my car.”
“You’re right.” Satoru mumbles, “Help?” he asks with a sly smile while reaching his hand out toward you. He hears you let out a long-suffering sigh and lets out a small giggle at your predictable reaction.
You take his hand anyway.