Work Text:
It had been almost two years since Mayumi and Sojiro met, and things had been going well for their little family ever since. It wasn’t as though there were no issues, but things were good. Ryuji and Futaba were getting along like a house on fire, too.
Mayumi had continued working with Takemi at the local clinic, until she was offered a job at a larger hospital, closer to the center of Tokyo. The commute was awful, but the work was fulfilling, and Mayumi was in a much better place financially than she had been before. She got to work with a lot of kids, which was a blessing in some ways and a curse in others.
The hardest part was when she encountered cases of abuse. They weren’t as common as she feared, but it happened enough that she had the protocol memorized.
The moment she saw that kid, the alarm bells started ringing. He was absolutely tiny for his age - probably hadn’t hit the growth spurt that came with puberty - and noticeably underweight. Every now and then, he pulled the sleeve of his arm back down from where it rode up, trying to hide the obvious finger-shaped bruises. Probably given to him by that old bearded man who brought him into the examination room.
Worst of all was the broken arm and shoulder.
It wasn’t easy to break a shoulder. It was most often seen in the aftermath of car accidents, and wasn’t common in children, since their bones tended to take shocks better than adults. In children, it was almost always a sign of physical abuse.
“Can you tell me your name again, sweetheart?” Mayumi asked, reaching for her clipboard.
The boy shifted a little on the examination table. “I’m Yusuke… Yusuke Kitagawa.”
“Thank you, Kitagawa,” Mayumi said. “Was that man your adult?”
“My foster father,” Yusuke mumbled. “He used to be my mama’s Sensei.”
“Where’s your mama now?”
Yusuke went quiet for a moment. “She died…”
“Oh… I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
“It’s alright. I don’t really remember her,” Yusuke mumbled. “Is my arm badly hurt? It feels bad.”
“I’d be surprised if it didn’t,” Mayumi said. “We have to take a few x-rays, but it looks like your arm and shoulder might be broken in a few places. How did you get hurt?”
Yusuke’s eyes went wide. “Umm… stairs? I think?”
“You think?” Mayumi repeated.
“Fell down the stairs,” Yusuke repeated, this time with more conviction. Mayumi didn’t buy the story one bit. Still, she stayed cautious. “Madarame says I’m clumsy…”
“That’s not very nice of him, is it?” Mayumi said, scribbling something down on her clipboard. She’d already paged the doctor to let her know that her next patient was a suspected abuse case. All she could do now was keep Yusuke calm while they waited. “I don’t like mean people…”
“Me neither,” Yusuke said. “Madarame’s really mean. He’s not nice to me at all.”
“Is he the one who left that bruise on your arm?” Mayumi asked.
Yusuke’s face went pale. “Promise you won’t tell anyone?”
“I can’t promise that, sweetheart. Part of my job is making sure I tell people if I know someone’s getting hurt.”
“He doesn't mean it,” Yusuke whispered, his voice only just audible. “I know he doesn’t.”
Mayumi took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “Sweetheart… people who love you don’t hurt you. People who don’t care about you won’t hesitate to.”
Yusuke sniffled, pulling his knees up to his chest. “I don’t like it when he gets mad at me.”
“I know… it's not fun, is it?” Mayumi soothed. “Would you like a hug? Would that help?”
Yusuke’s voice cracked. “Please…?”
Mayumi gave the boy a firm hug, patting him on the back as he sniffled, trying not to cry. At times like this, she remembered why she’d gone into nursing in the first place. She had always wanted to help people.
When the doctor arrived, Mayumi left them to finish the examination and take Yusuke to get his x-ray done. By the time the x-ray was done, revealing multiple points of fracture, and Yusuke was put into a cast, the social worker had arrived.
It all happened a bit fast after that. Yusuke asked to not be sent home to Madarame, and the social worker assured him that he would not be going there. When the social worker stepped out to make some calls, Mayumi did something a little impulsive.
She phoned Sojiro.
“Mayumi? Is everything alright? You don’t usually call me when you’re at work.”
“I’m fine,” Mayumi said. “It’s just… there’s this boy.”
“A patient?”
“Yes… he came in with some fractures, and when I asked him how he got them, he… he…”
“Mayumi, calm down.” Sojiro told her soothingly. “Deep breaths, just like we did with Futaba.”
“Okay… okay…” Mayumi took a deep breath, clutching the fabric of her scrubs to steady herself. “I’m calm.”
“Good. So, what’s this about a kid?”
Mayumi explained the rest of the story, ending with the fact that the kid needed somewhere to stay. “I just know they’re going to stick him in a group home,” she said. “He’s so timid… a place like that would eat him alive.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Sojiro asked.
“I want to take him in. At least until his social worker can find a permanent home for him,” Mayumi said. “But I didn’t want to make the decision without you, since you make more money than I do…”
“You have such a big heart, Mayumi,” said Sojiro, his voice fond. “If you want to take in this child, I will support you.”
“Thank you, Jiji.”
“Alright…” Sojiro murmured. “You’re going to want to talk to his social worker, I’m guessing? I can leave you to it.”
“Perfect. I love you.”
She could feel Sojiro’s kind smile from the other side of her phone. “Love you too.”
Taking another deep breath - could never hurt - Mayumi went to talk to Yusuke’s social worker. After a truly obscene amount of phone calls, they were able to arrange for Mayumi and Sojiro to become emergency foster parents.
Mayumi brought Yusuke to Yongen-Jaya wondering what the hell she had been thinking. But after remembering she wouldn’t be alone in this endeavor, she knew she wouldn’t need to back out of it. She even let Yusuke hold her hand on the way to Leblanc.
Everyone had had a long, difficult day, so after coaxing Yusuke into eating some curry and rice, she and Sojiro put the kids to bed early, thankful that Ryuji had insisted on having a bunk bed in his room, even without anyone to share it with initially.
By the time they both collapsed into bed, Sojiro and Mayumi had just enough energy to cuddle together before they both conked out.
***
Sharing a room with someone who was basically a total stranger was so , so weird . Ryuji didn’t really like it, but Mom had told him and Futaba that Yusuke really, really needed a safe place to stay for a bit, so Ryuji figured he could give Yusuke a try.
It didn’t help that Yusuke was absolutely terrified of him, for some reason. Ryuji wasn’t trying to be mean or scary. He really wasn’t! But Yusuke really didn’t like him.
It was so not fair! Ryuji had always wanted a brother, but even now that he sorta had one, Yusuke wouldn’t even talk to him.
It… sort of reminded him of how Futaba was when they first met. But at least she was willing to talk to him due to their similar interests. Yusuke didn’t seem to have anything in common with him!
Not that it would stop Ryuji from reaching out, though. Mom had always said he was a social butterfly, Sojiro had said that he was more like an overexcited puppy, wanting to be best friends with everyone, and getting overexcited about it. Mom had gotten really annoyed the first time Dad said that, but calmed down when he insisted he meant it in a nice way. Takeshi probably would have said that, and meant it nastily…
Point was! New brother!
Ryuji had already done the new-sibling thing once before. How hard could it be to do it a second time?
“Yusuke!” Ryuji called, bursting into their shared room. “Wanna watch TV?”
Yusuke stared at him funnily. “I’m not allowed to watch TV.”
“Why not?”
“Madarame didn’t let me. He said it was a distraction. I had better things to do.”
“That’s stupid. Everyone watches TV.”
Yusuke shrugged his not-broken shoulder. “I don’t want your mom to be mad at me…”
“Dude, I watch loads of TV. Me and ‘taba had a movie marathon, like, last week .”Grabbing Yusuke’s hand, he said, “Come on. If Mom gets mad - which she won’t - you can say it's my fault.”
Extremely hesitant, Yusuke allowed Ryuji to take him to the living room.
Ryuji deposited him on the couch. “Whatcha wanna watch?”
“Um… something animated?”
“Yeah, alright!” Ryuji flicked through some of the movies on the streaming service they usually used. Futaba had sprung them the full package somehow. “Oh, I was wanting to watch this one! Looks a bit sad, though… is that okay with you?”
Yusuke gave another one-shoulder shrug, so Ryuji put the movie on. It was a pretty decent movie, but about halfway through, it started getting really sad. The main character's mom died a tragic death, and they didn’t take it very well. It was starting to make Ryuji feel kinda too sad.
“Do you care if I put something else on?” Ryuji asked. “This one's kind of a downer… Yusuke?”
Yusuke didn’t respond at first, instead just staring at the screen intently.
“Yusuke?” Ryuji tried waving his hand in front of Yusuke’s face, finally getting a response out of him.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was… a little distracted by the movie… s-sorry-”
“Nah, it’s my mistake. I didn’t realize how bad it would be for you,” Ryuji said easily. “Guess I shoulda thought about why your mom isn’t around, huh?”
“It’s not your fault,” Yusuke said, a touch stiffly. “I should have told you I was getting upset.”
“I guess we both messed up a bit, huh?” Ryuji got up from the couch, moving to put something else on. “You ever watched Neo Featherman? Nothing sad ever happens in that show.”
“Neo Featherman?” Yusuke repeated. “I’m not familiar…”
“Dude, you’re missing out!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Wait, let me find that episode I like to start with…”
***
Futaba was never great at talking to new people. Even with her new big brother to help her out, she was still struggling to make friends at her middle school. People were weird and the rules never really made sense. But now she was supposed to get used to another brother? She knew Ryuji got along with him, but still, the house was starting to get a little cramped…
Was she supposed to talk to Yusuke first? What if he didn’t want to talk to her? What if she just upset him? He was so weird, and quiet, and sad…
Urgh, it was all too much!
Eventually, Yusuke approached her, which answered at least part of her social anxiety spiral. He seemed just as freaked out by the whole thing as she was, which was a little reassuring. It was probably harder to go from no siblings to two than no siblings to one. Probably.
“Do you… umm… Ryuji says you like Neo Featherman. Do you want to watch it with me? What episode are you on?” Yusuke offered, looking at her like a kicked puppy, who was expecting to get kicked again.
Futaba felt very awkward. “Yeah, okay.”
When they sat down to watch, Yusuke grabbed the sketchbook Mayumi bought him, holding it on his lap.
“Who do you like?”
“Huh?”
“Which character’s your favorite?”
“Oh, Green Parakeet!”
“Hnn…” Yusuke went back to drawing in his sketchbook. Futaba left Yusuke to his devices, not really paying attention while she watched. She’d seen this episode so many times, she was quoting it in her head. It was kinda fun to watch Yusuke’s reactions, though, even if he wasn’t very expressive.
About halfway through Episode 4, Yusuke pushed his sketchbook into Futaba’s hands. “Here,” he said, with no further elaboration.
What Futaba found was an absolutely stunning drawing of Green Parakeet, and she looked in awe at how Yusuke was able to draw such a thing in such a short amount of time.
In fact, she was even more shocked when Yusuke followed it up with, “It’s not my best.”
“ Not your best ?” Futaba cried. “Are you kidding? This is awesome !”
“I-It’s nothing special… but thank you.” There was a small pause. “I-Is… is there anything else you would like me to draw for you?”
Futaba nodded feverishly. “Um, yeah ! If you want to!”
Yusuke just nodded dutifully. “What do you want me to draw for you, then?”
After pausing the TV, Futaba took Yusuke’s hand and dragged him over to her laptop. Typing furiously, she pulled up pictures of Petatron and Heyday from Valiant Vehicles . “Could you draw these guys?”
“I-It’ll take me a while, S-Sakura-san. I’ll start right away, p-promise!”
Futaba watched Yusuke draw for a while, not noticing how nervously he attempted to put pencil to paper.
Eventually, Mayumi knocked on the door. “Yusuke, Futaba, lunch is ready!”
“Sweet!” Futaba cheered. “Yusuke, let’s go-”
Yusuke attempted a smile. “I’ll be down after I’m done.”
“Are you really that fast at drawing?” Futaba gawked. “Dad’s curry will go cold!”
“It’s okay. I can wait to eat until I’m done.”
“Sweetie, you can come back to your art later. You need to eat now.”
Yusuke’s attempt at a smile faded away. “But… I’m not allowed to eat until I’m done with my required drawings.”
Futaba facepalmed. “Come on, who says that? I already told you, it’s gonna get cold.”
Mayumi placed a hand on Futaba’s shoulder. “Futaba, can you go get the plates from Sojiro?” Futaba nodded, and once she’d dashed downstairs, Mayumi knelt down to Yusuke’s level. “Baby, you don’t have to earn your keep.”
“But I don’t des-”
“Madarame was wrong,” Mayumi said. “You deserve to eat. I know that isn’t easy to accept, but it's true. You don’t have to do anything to make us like you.”
“I like drawing… I don’t mind doing it.”
“That’s not the point. You should draw because you love it, not because you think you have to,” Mayumi said. “Futaba doesn’t always realize when someone is feeling unsure or doesn’t understand the rules. If you’re ever not sure, you can ask her, and she’ll make sure to tell you. Or you can ask one of us.”
“Um… okay.”
Futaba came back soon after with two plates of Leblanc curry, passing one to Yusuke, who started eating after glancing over to Mayumi one final time to make sure it was okay.
Mayumi just smiled. They’d take things one step at a time.
***
As nice as he seemed, Yusuke just didn’t trust Sojiro. He had too many physical similarities to Madarame, down to the shaggy goatee. His general demeanor didn’t help, either. Still, he didn’t bother him at any point, but Yusuke was still on guard, waiting for the moment when Sojiro would eventually get angry with him and strike.
Yusuke was a bad child, after all. Not even his mom wanted to stick around for a brat like him.
He really, really wanted Sojiro to like him. Or at least not hate him.
Maybe then he’d have proof he wasn’t a bad kid.
Yusuke was sitting in the kitchen, trying his best to stay focused on his drawings, when Sojiro came in, having just finished up at Leblanc for the day. There was this look on his face, one that Yusuke could recognise as stress and exhaustion. When Madarame looked like that, he always wanted a drink, and he’d get upset if Yusuke didn’t bring him one fast enough. He wasn’t supposed to have to ask. Yusuke was meant to know.
As Sojiro sat down, Yusuke began looking through the fridge.
“What’re you up to, kid?”
Yusuke stood on his tip-toes to see the top shelf. “I’m trying to find where you keep your drinks.”
“There’s some lemonade on the middle shelf,” Sojiro said. “I think Mayumi bought some orange juice, too…”
Yusuke looked at him like he was speaking another language. “Not that kinda drink. Adult drinks. To make you feel better.”
Sojiro chuckled. “Sorry, kid. I don’t drink anymore.”
Yusuke froze. “Sorry…”
“What are you sorry for?” Sojiro asked.
“I’m supposed to make you feel better,” Yusuke mumbled, “because you’re upset.”
“The way I feel isn’t your problem, kid. I’m not mad at you or anything. I’m just a bit tired from work. That’s all.”
Though not totally convinced, Yusuke nodded slowly. “O-Okay…”
“If you still want to help, you could cook dinner with me?” Sojiro offered. “I’m always glad to have another pair of hands in the kitchen.”
Yusuke brightened a little. “I think I can do that!”
The Sakamotos and Sakuras ate dinner together that night, and Yusuke beamed with pride as Ryuji and Futaba complimented his work.
He’d only been here a few weeks, and he’d already received far more compliments than Sensei had given him.
“I think you have a little chef on your hands,” Mayumi said.
Yusuke smiled. “I liked spending time with Sojiro… it was like having a dad. A real dad.”
A hush fell over the table.
Yusuke stared down at the table. “If… if you all wouldn’t mind… could I stay a little longer? Please ?”
Mayumi slowly got up from her seat at the table and hugged Yusuke. “For as long as you want, Yusuke.”
Yusuke clung onto Mayumi’s shirt, like she might disappear if he let go. “T-Thank you. Truly.”
Yusuke eventually settled on calling Mayumi Mom, since his mother was Mama. Hopefully, she would accept him being in a new family.
A week later, Futaba found where Kitagawa Ayaka was buried. Sakura Yusuke, accompanied by his new family, would finally get to visit her.