Work Text:
Shinya was worried.
Kakashi had been extremely clingy recently, and Shinya didn't know what to do about it.
Every morning for the past few months, as soon as the twins entered the kitchen, Kakashi would make his way over to him and hide his face in his thigh or fully grab onto his legs.
One morning, he climbed up Shinya's body like a tree to cling to his neck as he cooked breakfast.
It was especially rough with drop offs at school. Luckily, the boys’ kindergarten teacher only gave him understanding smiles as Shinya tried to pry Kakashi’s scarily immovable grip from his neck.
No matter how much he pleaded or bribed, Kakashi would never let go of him of his own free will.
There were only two ways to get Kakashi to let go.
One way was to ask Satoru to guide him to wherever he needed to be (in which case the bribing was mostly done with Satoru), but the second way always made Shinya's heart hurt.
Every instance, without fail, if Shinya implied that he was in a rush, or if there was an emergency he had to get to, Kakashi would obediently let go.
However, the utterly blank look that fell over his face as soon as he let go always made Shinya internally wince.
Kakashi would avoid eye contact for the rest of the day, and Shinya would end up feeling so guilty that he would scoop Kakashi up as soon as he had the time and allow the toddler to curl into his chest to nap.
(Shinya will guiltily admit to using Kakashi as an excuse to nap himself. A warm weight on his chest and the sounds of his youngest brother breathing was always soothing enough to put him to sleep.)
When Shinya brought his concerns to his brothers’ teacher she reassured him that his behavior was normal, if a bit intense.
Children that had unstable lives like Kakashi and Satoru reacted in unpredictable ways when they felt safe, and what Kakashi was doing may only be his way of testing boundaries. The best thing Shinya could do was reassure Kakashi that he would always be supported and loved.
Shinya sighed and accepted the advice, but a part of him still worried for the youngest of the family.
–
Kakashi and Satoru were extremely observant due to their quirks. Shinya will admit to a terrifying degree.
Which is why he is almost grateful for the bank robber that he had to stop just before he was set to clock out.
If it wasn’t for that asshole , he would have arrived earlier than the other parents and guardians as usual, and would have avoided the absolute chaos that was pick up time.
As it was, he was wrestling his way through the crowd and had ended up just behind Kakashi and Satoru when he heard Satoru speak.
“You've been acting like a baby. I think it's weird.” Satoru declared.
“Yeah. It probably is.” Kakashi responded, his chin resting on his knees.
Shinya quickly realized that because of the mingling children and parents, the twins had not spotted him.
It was probably underhanded to use the hustle and bustle of the crowd to eavesdrop, but this would probably be his only chance to find out what was bothering his youngest brother. He just needed to find a way to help.
“Why’re you doing it? Do you want to be spoiled too? Shinya-nii spoils me all the time and I never have to act like a baby for it.” Satoru said.
Kakashi shrugged, “I don't know how to ask for people to stay. Never had the opportunity before.”
Shinya felt his chest tighten with both grief and affection. Kakashi wanted to know how to get him to stay and he had done what any small child would do when they wanted to keep something, they clung as hard as they could.
On one hand, Shinya was heartbroken that Kakashi didn’t feel like he could ask for what he wanted. If his brother wanted him to make time for him, he would drop his negotiable patrol shifts in a heartbeat.
But on the other hand, despite the less than ideal situation, Shinya was incandescently happy that Kakashi was comfortable enough to want to try to be clingy.
The first few months that Kakashi and Satoru were staying with him, the youngest would either stick to his twin’s side or keep to himself. Drop-offs at daycare were prompt without a single glance back to their guardian, and pick-ups were just as professional.
With the years that have gone by, Shinya can’t pinpoint the exact time where Kakashi’s behavior changed, but he can say with certainty that his baby brother has gotten comfortable in his new home.
He stays in shared spaces more often now, and will even start conversations if the atmosphere calls for it. He will ask questions for clarification if they do something new or unexpected, and most important of all, he will request help if he knows Shinya will be worried about him.
Shinya nearly had a heart attack the day he found Kakashi missing, only to find him at the supermarket an hour later grocery shopping because they were out of eggs.
(Shinya now makes sure to religiously schedule grocery runs.)
“Hmm,” Satoru hummed, “I just ask Shinya-nii for what I want and he gives it to me if he can. But I know you have a hard time with that.”
Kakashi hummed back and kept his head resting on his knees.
“So, I don’t know. Maybe he’ll figure it out and you won’t have to do anything? He’s not stupid like the other adults are, and I heard him talking to the teacher one time about you. I think he’ll catch on soon.” Satoru nodded with confidence and patted Kakashi on the head like a dog.
Kakashi hummed again, and the twins fell silent as they people watched through the chaos of the room. Shinya smiled and stepped through the group of gossiping mothers he had been hiding behind to approach his younger brothers.
Just as he knew they would, their heads snapped in his direction as soon as his boot emerged from the mass of people, and he grinned as Satoru excitedly jumped up with Kakashi in tow.
“Shinya-nii! You’re late! We thought you died!” Satoru shouted cheerfully, making parents and guardians look in their direction.
Shinya sighed.
“Let’s go home you two. I’ll buy you ice cream on the way as an apology.”
As Satoru cheered, he took their hands and guided them towards the exit. Shinya pressed his thumb reassuringly into Kakashi’s warm palm the entire way.
-
“Kakashi, good morning.” Shinya greeted as a sleepy Kakashi wandered into the kitchen.
Like clockwork, he approached Shinya without a word and pressed his face into Shinya’s leg. With a smile he ran his fingers through Kakashi’s pale hair, then returned to his breakfast prep.
“I heard from your teacher that your class is going on a trip to the aquarium soon, so you’re going to talk about sea creatures today. I know you boys are smart and it may be boring, but I think you’re the lucky ones given that I have a meeting with my PR team this afternoon.” Shinya said.
He went on to explain his timetable of the day disguised as a conversation as he stirred miso into the steaming pot of water and checked on the fish to make sure they didn’t burn.
As he was cracking eggs to fry he felt an insistent tug on his pant leg and he looked down. Kakashi was staring up at him, eyes wide and shining. He didn’t say a word, but his fists tightened further in the material he grasped as his whole body flushed to the side of Shinya’s leg.
Shinya paused, then slowly smiled, “I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow, so I was thinking of getting take-out for dinner tonight to hold us over until then. What do you think Kakashi? Where should we get dinner after I pick you and your brother up from school?”
Kakashi was silent for a moment, his gaze never leaving Shinya, and Shinya keeping his smile in place for his nervous baby brother.
Finally, Kakashi whispered, “We’re going to get take-out after you pick us up?”
Shinya’s smile softened further as he knelt to press his forehead to Kakashi’s. He still had egg on his hands, and he refused to break this moment for even the quickest rinse.
“After I drop you off, I’m going to work, and there is nothing that will stop me from coming back for you and your brother so that we can go home with whatever take-out you want to have for dinner together tonight.” Shinya vowed.
His little brothers were smart. So, so smart. So smart that it frightened Shinya sometimes. But in this moment, he was so proud of how smart Kakashi was, because he knew for certain that Kakashi understood what this conversation was.
And when Kakashi wrapped his arms around Shinya’s neck as confirmation with a request to get ramen from the one place he liked, Shinya leaned into the hug and said, “Of course, Kakashi. Of course.”