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Jin’s finger rests on the call button, readying himself to call Toji’s cousin, Naoya. He wants to thank him for giving them a new sofa along with wads of cash and the excessive amount of food, so he intends to call to ask if there's anything he can do in return.
He pushes the button, clearing his throat and waits for the boy to pick up.
"Hello? What's up, Jin-kun?" Naoya answers after a couple of rings. Jin faintly hears the sound of a sliding door closing in the background.
"Hi, Naoya-kun. I just want to ask if there's anything in particular that you want. I want to thank you for... everything you gave us last time you visited." Jin rubs the back of his neck nervously, a bit apprehensive to the boy's response. He doesn't know what to do if Naoya asks for... A car, for example.
"If it's within my ability, I'll try my best to give it to you!" He adds.
Naoya hums thoughtfully at the other end. Jin wonders if there is actually anything Naoya could possibly ask from him, with the boy being wealthy enough to buy anything he wants.
"I heard from Toji-kun that you're good at cooking," he starts, "I want to try your cooking, Jin-kun."
The bespectacled man blinks, not expecting such a simple request. "Okay, what would you like to try?"
"I don't really have a preference... so anything's fine, as long as it's your cooking."
Jin proceeds to ask if Naoya has any food allergies and if he's fine with spicy food. After getting a no followed by a yes, Jin breathes in relief.
"Alright, I'll figure things out. If you're available, let's have dinner together this weekend."
"Yeah! I'm looking forward to it~ Thanks, Jin-kun!"
Jin laughs fondly, "No problem. I hope my cooking's to your liking."
"Mm! I can't wait!" Naoya responds excitedly, bringing a smile to Jin's face.
"Oh, right... I actually have a request," Naoya adds, "Please don't drink alcoholic beverages when I'm around?"
Jin raises an eyebrow. "Do you mind if I ask why?"
"I just... I don't like seeing people drink and get drunk. I also don't like the smell. Even just seeing the bottles makes me irritated."
Jin feels like there's something more to it, but he decides not to press further. He wonders if Naoya saw the cans of beer in the fridge. He takes a mental note to store them deeper, hidden from sight.
"Sorry for the trouble, I know it's silly."
"Not at all. Is cooking with wine or beer off-limits as well?"
"Cooking's fine if it doesn't smell like alcohol, I guess."
"Got it. If you have other concerns, please do tell!" The teen affirms, and Jin ends the call.
Jin spends the afternoon thinking of what to cook for Naoya. He calls Toji to ask about it later that day.
“I thought you didn't like Naoya. Why are you going out of your way to cook for him?”
“I don’t hate him, geez…” Jin drags his palm across his face. Aside from having a foul mouth and lacking some common sense, Naoya actually did a great job looking after his sons (although the food and money is way too excessive) and keeping the house in order (he was surprised to see how clean everything is when he got home, the boy presumably called a cleaning service earlier in the day).
Jin sensed no malice and bad intentions, just… a boy who’s a little bit… quirky?
“I just found him to be… somewhat peculiar. I just got caught by surprise and didn’t know how to deal with him, I guess?” Toji hums at the other end. Jin continues, “The twins seem to like him, and Naoya also seems to be fond of them. As for me… Right now, I just want to return his favor.”
Toji stays quiet, so Jin asks him again. “So, Toji, do you know what kind of food he likes?”
"Kid eats anything as long as it's edible." Jin can imagine the other man shrugging. As expected.
He frowns, unsatisfied with the answer. "What kind of food does he usually eat?" He tries pressing for more details.
"Fast food. Take-outs."
Jin frowns deeper. He doesn't expect a rich kid like Naoya to have a taste for such meals. He expects him to have more of an… opulent taste. "Okay… what kind?"
“Dunno, he eats a little bit of everything, I guess. I think he likes fried food, ones with crunchy layers outside.”
Jin lets out a breath. Finally something he can use. “How about home-cooked meals? Do you know what he eats at home?”
“ Washoku , I guess? Y’know, rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and the like? Those old-fashioned geezers never served anything other than traditional stuff. Dunno if it’s still like that after I left, though. Naoya never told me about food.”
Toji hums, like he’s trying to remember something. “It was shit, as far as I remember. And since Naoya tries not to be home most of the time and prefers to eat out, I doubt that it’s anything worth staying for, so don’t waste your time thinking about it.”
Jin's eyebrows crease, remembering the things Toji told him about the family he left behind. "That bad, huh?"
"Yup," Toji affirms, popping the last syllable.
Jin hums thoughtfully, recalling their conversation so far.
“Alright. I think… I have some ideas.”
Naoya arrives on Saturday afternoon. Immediately after he enters the house, a fragrant aroma greets him. He pauses at the genkan as Jin hangs his coat on the rack.
"Is it Japanese curry? It smells really nice..." Naoya says as he makes his way through the hallway. The positive remark makes Jin smile.
"The twins are setting the table now. Would you please give them a hand? The middle part of the table is hard to reach for them." Naoya nods and follows Jin towards the dining room.
"Naoya nii-chan!" Yuuji's face lights up at the sight of him. He sets the utensils he's holding onto the table and runs towards the older boy. Sukuna gasps indignantly and yells at his twin, "Get back here, you brat! You're not finished yet!"
Yuuji giggles and latches himself onto Naoya's leg like a baby koala. "I didn't know Naoya nii-chan was coming!" The older boy chuckles fondly, a hand reaching down to pet Yuuji's head.
Sukuna walks up to them, huffing. "I knew there'd be guests! Dad doesn't cook this much food unless he has guests coming!"
"Ho~ Su-kun is pretty smart! Good job figuring that out!" Naoya grins and bends down to ruffle Sukuna's hair.
Sukuna grins proudly and puffs his chest with both hands on his hip before trying to pry his twin off Naoya’s leg to get him back to work. When that fails, Naoya sighs and takes over the twin’s work while Yuuji is still hanging on his leg.
After some time struggling to move, Naoya managed to finish setting the table with Sukuna. There are six seats and each has been set with mats and cutlery.
"Toji-kun and Megumi-kun aren't here yet," Naoya remarks, as he tries to pry Yuuji off his leg and sit him down on one of the chairs.
"Yeah, Toji's out to buy something so he's probably being held up at the store," Jin replies from the kitchen. "It is the weekend, so it's considerably more crowded."
Naoya hums as he tries to remember the few times he had a meal with Toji. Most of them were a bunch of fast food or instant meals eaten on the sofa while watching a baseball game. Meals with Toji and Megumi are always… uneventful.
As for meals at home, he typically has servants deliver the meals to his room. He can't remember the last time he eats on the dinner table together with his family - not that he even considers people other than Toji and Megumi as his family.
The front door opens minutes later and Toji comes in, carrying a square-shaped bag in his hand and Megumi sitting on his shoulders.
"Oh, you're here! Cool. Looks like we’re all set, huh?” The older man puts Megumi down and brings the bag into the kitchen. The kid wordlessly saunters to the bathroom to wash his hands.
After the kids are all seated - each of them on every corner - Jin and Toji take turns bringing meals to the table.
Naoya stares at the carefully presented meal in front of him. There’s chicken katsu, omelet on top of something he assumes to be white rice, and of course the curry itself. There's also a huge plate filled with karaage and salad at the center of the table.
These are all very common meals and nothing amazing whatsoever, but it warms his heart to think that Jin made these with him in mind.
“Wow, these look better than CoCo's,” Naoya states, still taking the sight in.
“It’ll look even better with this!” Yuuji holds up a ketchup bottle and carefully squirts the contents on top of his omelet.
“Look! A bear!” He spins his plate for Naoya to see and the older boy snorts at the misshapen shape of a bear head.
“It’s like it’s drawn with blood, it’s kinda creepy-looking the more I look at it.”
“Eh— but it’s cute…” Yuuji pouts.
“Huh, maybe you have a knack for drawing horror, Yuuji,” Toji pats the little boy’s head and sits next to him, in between the twins.
“My turn!” Sukuna grabs the bottle of ketchup and works swiftly, drawing what looks like a…
“It’s a turd!” He grins proudly as he shows his work, sending Toji and Naoya into a fit of laughter. Even Megumi chokes out a laugh.
"You even got the swirl on point." Naoya wipes a tear.
“That’s a,” Toji wheezes, “good shit.”
“Language, Toji,” Jin appears with a tray filled with glasses and a pitcher of water. He sets it on the table and sits between Naoya and Megumi.
“Sorry~” Toji grins, clearly unapologetic, “I meant good turd. Good job kid.” He ruffles Sukuna’s hair.
“Your turn!” Sukuna hands Megumi the bottle, and Megumi silently gets to work.
“What’s that? A bunny?” Yuuji asks, his hands propped on the table. He leans forward to take a closer look.
“Sailormoon.”
“I thought it’s Doraemon with a huge bamboo-copter,” Naoya hums, “Why's her hair horizontal?"
"’Cuz she's transforming."
The entire table goes, "Oohh."
Megumi hands the ketchup bottle to Jin, and he passes it to Naoya.
"Would you like to draw on your omelet, too?"
Naoya grabs the bottle without thinking, and tries to draw the first thing that comes to his mind.
"Just a smiley face? Boring~" Sukuna pouts.
"I think it's cute," Yuuji giggles, "I like the big mouth."
"Your definition of cute is really out there, Yuuji-kun..." Naoya chuckles.
"Yeah... drawing with ketchup makes it look creepy instead of cute..." Toji adds.
After saying itadakimasu , everyone starts eating.
Jin glances at Naoya nervously, apprehensive of the boy's response. He has confidence in his cooking, but for some reason, this time he feels particularly anxious. He really wants the boy to enjoy his cooking, and have a good time having dinner with them.
"It's good," Naoya says after his first bite, his eyes wide. "It’s really good."
Naoya continues eating enthusiastically, trying out the karaage and compliments Jin about how crispy and juicy and delicious they are.
Jin's face lights up at the compliments and Naoya’s reactions, feeling like a huge burden has just been lifted off his shoulders. "Glad to hear it! Ask for seconds if you want. We still have plenty."
The sound of cutlery fills the room, along with some chatter in between. It is a nice, warm atmosphere, a little bit too noisy and messy - the kids fought over the last piece of karaage, knocking Sukuna’s glass over and sending water everywhere - but Naoya enjoys every second of it. He usually eats just for the sake of sustenance and doesn't put much thought into the experience, but this time is different. He tried to savor everything Jin has put his time and effort into. He asks for a second serving of curry rice that night, to Jin's amusement.
"Just a heads up, we still have dessert," Jin grins, "you'd better save some room for it."
At the mention of dessert, the kids' faces light up and the twins start chanting, "Dessert! Dessert! Dessert!"
After everyone is done with their meal, Toji clears the table and brings the dirty dishes into the sink while Jin grabs some saucers and sets them on the table. Naoya offers help just as Jin walks back into the kitchen to get the dessert, but the older man tells him to stay in his seat. "It's a surprise! I don't want you to see it yet!"
"Is it still a surprise if you tell him it's a surprise?" Toji grins.
“Oops,” Jin shrugs, totally unbothered.
The twins both gasp when Jin reenters the room, carrying a rectangular cake that looks like cheese cake. Naoya assumes that it is what Toji went to buy earlier.
"Cake!" The twins yell, raising their hands into the air. Megumi’s eyes light up, staring at the cake intently.
Naoya smiles, amused at the kids' antics. However, once Jin places the cake on the table and he looks at the cake's topping, his smile disappears and his eyes go wide.
On the top of the cake is, "Happy Birthday, Naoya!" Written with white chocolate on top of a chocolate sheet.
"I didn't know it's Naoya-nii's birthday," Sukuna pouts.
"Happy birthday, Naoya-niichan!" Yuuji claps excitedly. Megumi even mutters a quiet, “Happy birthday.”
Naoya is speechless for a few moments, before he manages to open his mouth. "... My Birthday is in July."
Jin laughs nervously, a hand on the back of his neck. "We don't know when your birthday is but we want to surprise you, so..."
"My bad," Toji pipes up, smiling apologetically.
"Let's sing happy birthday!" Yuuji proposes, and the twins start singing for the older boy, who just stares wordlessly with his mouth slightly ajar. Jin sets a colorful candle on top of the cake and lights it up with a match.
"... Happy birthday dear Naoya~ happy birthday to you~"
"Here, Naoya-kun! Make a wish!" Jin gestures towards the lit-up candle, and Toji, with a camera in hand (when did he get that?), is all prepared to take a shot.
Naoya looks at the lit candle with his heart beating fast. The candle is melting quickly and he wishes for the first thing he can think of. He blows the flame out as Toji snaps a couple of pictures, followed by everyone clapping their hands.
"CAKE!" the twins yell, and Jin swiftly divides the cake into six pieces. The kids stare at the process excitedly, like hawks eyeing their prey. Once placed in front of them, they immediately dig into their cakes and hum happily.
"Do you want the chocolate sheet, Naoya-kun?" Jin asks as he cuts a piece for him. If Naoya’s being honest, he wants to keep that chocolate in a refrigerated glass box and display it in his room, but...
He shakes his head and gives the chocolate sheet to the kids.
"It's been a while since I had cake," Naoya puts a tiny piece of cake into his mouth and feels the soft, creamy, and fluffy sweet spread throughout his mouth. It is delicious, and he's thankful that they bought this cake to celebrate his birthday.
A thought crosses his mind and he turns to Jin. "Can you make cakes, too, Jin-kun?" He asks.
Jin hums thoughtfully, his hand under his chin. "I've tried making one for the twins' birthday, but I wasn't satisfied with the result. Layered cakes are especially hard to make, so I ended up just buying cakes because it's more convenient."
"Huh..." Naoya looks down at his half-eaten cake. He wonders what kind of cake Jin made for his sons' birthday.
"Do you want me to make you a birthday cake?" The older man asks, as if he read Naoya’s mind. The teen can feel his face going a few degrees warmer. His eyes light up and he nods eagerly. Jin chuckles, light and airy, looking at him with a fond smile on his face. Naoya feels like his chest is going to burst.
"Sure, challenge accepted! I'll do it on your real birthday!" Jin grins cheerfully, raising his hand and rests it on top of Naoya’s head. The latter flushes harder at the affectionate gesture, feeling like he’s ready to combust anytime. Jin, noticing how tense Naoya is, takes his hand off the teen’s head.
“Sorry! Did you not like being pet on your head?” He apologizes, to which Naoya shakes his head vigorously.
“That’s not- I don’t hate it… I was just— surprised, I guess.” The teen rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, still red-faced. “I don’t mind it, so… um… ” he trails off, his eyes looking away from Jin’s. The older man seems to understand and starts petting his head again, with a blissful smile on his face. “I’m glad! I always do this to the kids, so I just did it to you without thinking.”
Naoya hums as he lets Jin pet his head some more. He definitely does not pout when Jin’s hand leaves his head to tend to Yuuji, who’s asking for another piece of cake. The teen falls silent, still feeling the warmth of the atmosphere and thinking about his experience so far, along with Jin’s future plan to make him a birthday cake. He’s feeling so happy and his heart is full, yet…
"Naoya-kun? Is something wrong?" Jin asks, looking a bit concerned. “You’ve been staring at your cake for a while.”
"If you don't want your cake, I'll eat it!" Sukuna pipes up, eyeing his cake menacingly. Naoya makes a somewhat strained smile and gets up from his seat.
"I think I ate too much. I'll just... go outside for a bit for some air." The teen excuses himself and leaves the dining room. "Don't eat my cake, though. I'm going to finish it later." He turns around and warns Sukuna, before disappearing into the hallway.
Jin raises his eyebrow, looking at Toji, who just shrugs in response.
Before long, the cake is all gone, except for Naoya’s half-eaten piece. Toji collects the saucers and silverwares and goes to the kitchen with Megumi to wash them. Jin tells the twins to brush their teeth and prepare for bed as he tidies the dinner table. All that’s left is Naoya’s cake so he calls him over, but there’s no answer.
Jin exits the dining room, calling Naoya’s name. He frowns when there’s still no answer. He walks through the house and finally finds the boy sitting alone on the engawa .
"Naoya-kun?" Jin puts a hand on Naoya's shoulder. The boy flinches a little, caught a bit off-guard, and he turns to face him.
"Oh. Jin-kun," he starts, letting out a breath, "what is it?"
"I called you but you didn't seem to hear. Do you want to finish your cake now or bring it home?"
"Oh, sorry! I… I was lost in thought," the boy stammered, a hand reaching behind his neck. "I‘ll eat the cake at home."
"Alright, I'll pack it up for you."
Naoya thanks him and turns his head back to stare at... whatever it is he finds interesting in the yard.
Jin raises an eyebrow, but goes to the kitchen to pack the leftover cake. As he's wrapping up the food for Naoya, his mind drifts to the young man, who looks like he has something on his mind. There's a nagging feeling that something is wrong and he wonders if he has something to do with it.
He sends Toji and Megumi home, and tells the twins to say goodnight to the guests, before sending them to bed.
Naoya is still sitting at the exact same place when Jin goes to look for him. He makes his way towards the engawa and sits next to the boy.
"Is there something wrong, Naoya-kun?" He asks. Naoya turns to him, eyes wide. He visibly tries to compose his expression. The teen hesitantly opens his mouth, only to close it after. He frowns, seeming to have a tough time thinking about what to say.
"I don't know," he finally answers, eyes looking to the side.
"Want to talk about it?" Jin offers. "Talking it out might make you feel better, even a little."
Naoya appears conflicted. "It's... stupid," he says, his voice small.
"Even if you think it is, it clearly matters to you," Jin leans forward, giving Naoya his full attention. The boy hesitantly meets his eyes. "I'll hear you out and won't say anything unless you want my opinion on it, okay?"
Naoya's eyes go wide, looking a bit surprised, as if he didn't expect that kind of response. As if he's never gotten that response.
Jin smiles at the younger softly, "I know for a fact that whatever you're concerned with won't be as stupid as Sukuna wanting to eat a mammoth."
Naoya smiles at the remark. The smile quickly dissipates, however, replaced by a grimace. He takes a breath, as if bracing himself.
"... I don't want to go home."
Jin feels his stomach drop. He has an idea on what Naoya's family situation is like, based on the few instances of Toji mentioning them. He knows that Naoya tries not to be home as often as he could, but to hear the sentence coming right out of the boy's own mouth is...
"I had a really good time. Having a delicious dinner with everyone... celebrating my birthday... It makes me so happy, and I just... I don't want it to end."
Naoya's eyes start watering, and he blinks the tears away. Jin watches silently, his hands clasped together tightly.
"I just want to stay happy forever," Naoya's voice starts breaking, "I know it's impossible. It's stupid."
Jin puts an arm around Naoya and gives him a one-armed embrace, his head leaning against the other. Naoya melts at the touch and leans into the embrace, letting out a shaky breath.
“I’m scared.” He sniffs, rubbing his face with his sleeves. “I feel like something bad is going to happen next. I hate this.”
Jin gives him some time to process his feelings and calm down, stroking the boy's side soothingly as he silently lets his tears fall.
"Wanna know what I think?" Jin starts, when he feels that Naoya has calmed down enough. The boy nods quietly.
"I don't think it's stupid to want to always be happy," he tells the boy softly, “I also want to be happy all the time if it's possible.”
"We won't get happiness all the time," Jin rests his hand on Naoya’s head, petting him softly, “but the same goes for sadness and pain. You won’t feel sad all the time, and bad things will go away eventually.”
Naoya listens, keeping his mouth shut. Jin continues, "... and, you don't have to deal with it alone."
Jin's other hand reaches for Naoya's cheek, gently turning his head. Their eyes meet, and Jin places both of his arms on Naoya's shoulders.
“If you think there’s something, anything, that I can do to make you feel better, please tell me.”
Naoya looks down and his hand fiddles with his sleeve. "... I think... I want a hug..." Naoya looks up at him hesitantly, cheeks a bit rosy. "Can I?"
Jin sighs affectionately, giving Naoya a warm smile. "Of course," He answers, wrapping both arms around the boy and embracing him tightly. He can feel Naoya slowly hug him back, his hands winding up around his waist.
Naoya lets out a long sigh and closes his eyes, letting his feelings wash over him and into the ground beneath his feet. He listens to the sound of their breathing and the soft, dull thumping of their hearts, feeling the shared warmth between them.
"Hugs are nice," Naoya mumbles softly. "... I can't remember the last time I had one."
Jin gives him another tight squeeze, "I'll give you as many hugs as you need."
Naoya smiles against the soft fabric of Jin's sweater and gives the older man a squeeze in return..
"I'll take you up on that offer."
It's time for Naoya to go home, and after he finishes tying his shoe, he just stands in the genkan with his back towards Jin. “Is something wrong, Naoya-kun?” the older man asks.
“Nothing, I’m just thinking,” Naoya shakes his head, and Jin waits for him to elaborate.
Naoya finally turns to face him and looks at Jin’s eyes nervously, his lips pressed into a thin line. Jin raises his eyebrows, curious about the teen’s behavior but stays silent and waits for Naoya to speak up.
"Jin-kun, I was wondering… can you... teach me how to cook?"
Jin blinks, not expecting Naoya to ask such a thing.
"I can try. Though... isn't it better to study under a licensed practitioner? Someone with more experience than me?" He's sure Naoya can get a real culinary expert to teach him, so why does he want Jin, of all people-
Naoya visibly deflates and realization hits Jin like a brick.
Oh.
"... Yeah... that makes sense. Of course. That'd be best..." The boy smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.
Jin feels like molten rocks just got poured into his stomach.
"Hey," Jin gently grabs the boy's wrist and takes his hand, holding it with both of his own. "You don't have to learn under someone you're not comfortable with. I'll try my best to teach you, if that's what you want."
The boy's eyes widen, looking up at him like he's just seen a mythical creature.
"Really?"
Jin pats Naoya's head affectionately, "Yeah! We can cook together with the kids, and I'll drag Toji to join us, too, if he's available."
Naoya visibly blooms, his eyes alight with excitement. "That sounds fun," he smiles brightly, cheeks flushing. The radiance makes Jin's chest warm.
"Right? I’ll go and ask everyone about it later. And I’ll let you know once I’ve figured things out!” Naoya nods vigorously, failing to contain his eagerness. Jin chuckles at the teen’s enthusiasm and ruffles his hair playfully.
"Y’know, you don’t really need a reason to see us. Just give me a call if you want to visit, or if you just want to talk. You don't need to have an appointment or a plan or anything."
Naoya gives him a wobbly smile and nods, his eyes starting to water again. He hurriedly wipes his eyes with his sleeves and hugs the bespectacled man tightly.
After Naoya had his fill of hugs, Jin sends him on his way, waving at him as the cab carries him away.
Jin enters the house and sighs. The silence feels deafening after such an eventful day. He doesn't know if he can sleep tonight.
Jin enters his bedroom, picks up his phone, and calls Toji.
"Yo, Jin. What's up?" Toji answers, the sound of television can be heard in the background.
Jin inhales, preparing himself. He can't believe he's going to say what he's going to say.
"Toji, I want to take Naoya-kun."