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“I like your socks,” Isami tells Lulu as he sits down next to her on the couch. She lifts her feet and wiggles her toes, showing off the pink and black pair with some logo Isami can’t recognize. Knowing Smith, it’s probably some merch of an old-school tokusatsu show.
“We bought them yesterday.” The little girl beams. “The last pair in Lulu’s size.”
“I fought for them valiantly,” Smith chimes in from the sofa chair opposite of them.
Lulu giggles. Isami raises an eyebrow.
“It was hidden behind the adult sizes, somehow,” Smith clarifies. “They finally released them for the kiddos, too.”
Lulu scoots closer. “Isami, braids!”
People always say Isami is good with his hands, but being good at styling long hair on his first try was a surprising development. But Lulu loved it and Smith didn’t mind it so ever since Isami frequently does her hair whenever he’s over at the Smiths’.
He removes the hair clips from Lulu’s bangs and pulls out the elastic bands keeping up her hair in twintails, careful not to hurt her. He combs through her silky locks with his fingers, but somehow manages to drop one of the ties in the process.
He swallows a curse—having picked up Japanese in kindergarten, Lulu’s practically fluent and Isami has caught himself copying Smith’s English a few times before—and leans down to look for the bright red hair tie.
“Lulu can find it,” she volunteers with a small fist raised in the air, and dives under the cushions before Isami or Smith could catch her. She resurfaces a few seconds later with a green sock in hand.
A very familiar green sock.
“I thought I lost—”
Lulu turns towards him, and gives the sock a shake. “Isami’s?”
“Uhm.”
The offending piece of clothing is an ugly Christmas sock, a joke gift from Hibiki. It’s not something Isami usually wears, but a few months back he was busy with a huge wedding order and he forgot to do laundry for two weeks so on the last day his only choice was Christmas socks. In March.
“It’s pretty cool, isn’t it, Lulu?”
“I like it,” she replies, completely missing Smith’s slight teasing. “But why did you take it off? Is it itchy? Lulu hates itchy socks. Bleh.”
Smith’s shoulders are shaking from suppressed laughter. Isami regrets looking at him. It’s not Isami’s fault his feet get cold easily, save for in the summer.
Face flushing, Isami ignores his boyfriend.
“Yeah, it is. But thank you for finding it for me.”
Lulu giggles. “You’re welcome.”
“How about we put your hair up in a bun for now and look for the hair tie after lunch?”
Lulu gets distracted immediately at the mention of food. “Isami’s curry?”
Isami nods. That was planned for the day at least, he’s brought the groceries.
“Curry, curry, curry,” Lulu cheers and hops off the sofa. “Lulu will help!”
“We’ll both help,” Smith says. “If Isami doesn’t mind.”
Isami usually prefers to cook alone, always ushering Hibiki and Miyu out of his kitchen whenever they’re over for dinner, but he doesn’t particularly mind the presence of the father-daughter duo.
“Sure. You can cut up the vegetables.”
Lulu runs off in the direction of the kitchen. Smith steps behind Isami and loops his arms around his waist. “If I buy thigh highs, will you wear them? They should be warm enough in winter and you’d look hot.”
“Don’t you dare.”
Smith’s laughter is soft in Isami’s ears. He presses a chaste kiss to Isami’s neck before he lets go.
“Let’s go before Lulu finds the knives.”
Isami shoves at Smith’s shoulder, but he follows him to the kitchen.