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Draken was the last person that Baji expected to find sitting on the park bench.
“What are you doing here?” Baji choked in surprise, hoisting his toddler brother up higher on his hip.
Chifuyu didn’t appreciate this. The park was within reach. He wanted to be down already. He started squirming. Baji ignored the toddler for the moment.
“I could ask you the same question,” Draken drawled.
“I brought Chifuyu to play in the grass,” Baji gave his friend a suspicious side-eye, “Don’t tell me you’ve developed a sudden love of nature.”
“As if. No, I’m here for him. I wanted to get him out a bit.” Draken jerked his chin towards the grass.
Baji looked down. For the first time he noticed a toddler around his own brother’s age sitting in the grass, chewing on a pacifier.
“Where’d he come from?” Baji crouched down to look at the toddler a little closer.
The toddler did not look at all like he was related to Draken. Where Draken was all lean muscle, the toddler was rolly-polly with baby fat. Their noses and eye shape were completely different as well. Baji knew that these differences might be the fact that the toddler had yet to mature in his facial structure. Even still, he doubted that Draken and this toddler were related.
“Hell if I know where he came from. He was dropped off in the back alley a month ago,” Draken sighed tiredly.
“Does he have a name?” Baji frowned.
“Takemichi. Or at least that’s what the note on his blanket said,” Draken briefly pinched the bridge of his nose.
Baji set Chifuyu down. The toddlers eyed each other. Baji kept a close eye on them. Takemichi paused to look at Chifuyu. Chifuyu just stared back, clearly uncertain about this new being directly in front of him.
After a rather tense stare off, Takemichi was the first to scoot forward. He offered Chifuyu his slobbery pacifier. Chifuyu took it, shaking it vigorously. Takemichi babbled happily.
“See? They like each other,” Draken leaned back.
Baji envied him. He was clearly new to this whole child-rearing thing.
“They like each other for now , but Chifuyu always ends up getting into fights whenever mom tries to put him in daycare. He bit the heck out of a five year old who tried to take his toy,” Baji was trying not stress over the fact that his baby brother was already shaping up to be a delinquent like him.
“He’s what? Two years old?” Draken chuckled.
“Just over a year and a half,” Baji corrected.
“Same difference. He’ll grow out of it,” Draken snorted.
“What if he doesn’t?” Baji frowned.
“Don’t you burn cars for fun?” Draken just arched a strangely accusing eyebrow.
“That’s different. Chifuyu is not going to be like me,” Baji insisted.
“You say that now, but give it ten years and you might feel different,” Draken shrugged.
“Why are you trying to lecture me? You’ve only had a younger brother for a month. I’ve had mine for a year and a half!” Baji spluttered.
“I’m just saying you should relax a little more,” Draken sighed.
“I feel like I should be telling you this,” Baji grumbled.
The two teens watched their younger brothers toddle around the grass together. Despite Baji’s grim predictions about Chifuyu being a gremlin of chaos and teeth, it seemed that he liked Takemichi.
Then disaster struck. Takemichi tripped on his own feet and toppled into the grass. After sitting for a moment, clearly stunned, the toddler began crying. Chifuyu looked very startled at this turn of events. He sniffled a few times before he began crying as well while making grabby hands at Baji. Baji huffed before complying with Chifuyu’s clear request.
“Sympathy crier, ay?” Draken snorted.
“Shut it. Yours started it,” Baji snapped, trying to console the crying toddler in his arms.
Chifuyu pressed his face into Baji’s shoulder, his tiny hands fisting Baji’s long hair. His crying slowed to sniffles. As soon as his tears stopped, he twisted his body to look towards Takemichi. Baji could see that he was worried. Sure enough, as soon as it was clear that Takemichi was done crying, Chifuyu squirmed in Baji’s arms to be put back down. Baji obliged. Then Chifuyu and Takemichi were toddling around once more like nothing had ever happened.
“I don’t know if I should be proud that he’s finally got a tiny friend or if I should be sad because I’ve been replaced as the object of his undying affection,” Baji sighed.
“I mean, I wouldn’t say that Takemichi is the object of his undying affection,” Draken pointed at where Chifuyu was tearing up fist fulls of grass to put in Takemichi’s hair while the other toddler giggled, “Or I mean, I could be wrong.”
“Do not bring him over to my house, ever,” Baji grumbled.
“Why not? Wouldn’t Chiufyu want to have a playdate?” Draken arched an eyebrow.
“Ok. Two things,” Baji rounded on his friend, “One, I never thought I would live to see the day that you would say a domestic word like ‘playdate’ in a normal conversation. Two, yes, you can’t bring him over because if my mom sees him, she’s gonna want to keep him.”
“Well, your other option is you bring Chifuyu to my home,” Draken pointed out.
Baji wrinkled his nose. He didn’t want to bring Chifuyu to the brothel where Draken lived.
“Fine. What if we just meet at the park?” he suggested.
“We probably can’t do that in the winter,” Drake pointed out.
Baji threw up his hands in frustration. The movement startled the two toddlers and they looked up at him (Takemichi with a puckered face of childish judgement and Chifuyu with wide-eyed worry).
“Ok. Fine. Park in the summer. We’ll figure out something else for the winter. Does that work?” Baji relented.
“That’s fine with me. We just can’t let Mikey get his hands on them,” Draken shrugged.
Baji wrinkled his nose in agreement.
“True,” he murmured.
Their toddlers did not need Mikey’s bad influence.
“You can’t let me get my hands on what?”
Draken and Baji jumped in shock. Mikey was standing right behind them as if talking about him had summoned him.
“Where did you come from?” Baji choked.
It wasn't that he disliked seeing Toman's commander, he just much rather preferred it if he was given notice that people were trying to sneak up on him.
“I was bored and I wanted someone to hang out with,” Mikey crossed his arms over his chest, “It’s not fair that you are both trying to hide here from-”
Mikey cut himself off, eyes going wide.
“What are those?” He ran around the bench where Baji and Draken were sitting to crouch down next to the toddlers. Chifuyu stared back distrustfully while Takemichi cocked his head.
“Those are toddlers,” Draken snorted.
“Baji, did you have another one?” Mikey glanced up at said teen.
“No! I still only have one younger brother. The other one is Draken’s,” Baji deflected.
Makey turned to Draken with seriousness.
“Yours Ken-chin?” he drawled.
“Yes, my new younger brother,” Draken sighed.
“Great. Then both of them are mine now too,” Mikey nodded.
“That’s not the way that works,” Baji spluttered.
“Why not?” Mikey pouted.
“Because… because…” Baji floundered and looked at Draken to pick up the slack.
“Because they are part of our families, not yours,” Draken grumbled.
“Well, I can still be the cool uncle,” Mikey decided, “Besides, being the uncle is way better because then I don’t have to take care of them.”
Baji and Draken exchanged a glance. It seemed that there was no winning this with Mikey. They could only pray that the leader of Toman didn’t wake up one day and decided that he wanted to kidnap their younger brothers.