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Barou wakes up to the sound of wet coughing and brightness to his right, yellow light streaming out of the ajar bathroom door.
“Baby?” he calls out, tiptoeing softly towards the bathroom. He pushes the door open further, enough that he can step inside. “You alright in— Oh.”
Knelt before the toilet is Chigiri, clutching his stomach with a pained groan.
“Sick again, princess?”
Resting his cheek against the cool porcelain of the toilet seat, Chigiri laughs weakly, his upturned lips ringed with saliva. “Shouei,” he rasps out. “I’m not even three months in and your babies are gonna kill me.”
Barou’s nostrils flare as he huffs out a laugh, joining Chigiri on the floor. He rips off a length of toilet paper, dabbing at Chigiri’s sick-covered cheeks. “So they’re my babies now, huh?”
“Yeah.” Chigiri sighs, rubbing circles over his growing stomach. “Just for now, okay?"
“Of course, baby,” he chuckles, kissing Chigiri’s forehead and smoothing back his sweat-heavy bangs. “Just for now.”
Barou hasn’t slept more than six hours in three days, up at all hours to keep up with the twins.
He nearly nods off with tiny baby Yuka cooing gently in his arms until Yuji’s crying starts up again, wailing in her crib.
Chigiri stirs in bed next to him, drowsily kicking back the comforter. “I've got her, baby. Try and slee—”
His request is cut off when Yuka begins crying too, her tiny face breaking into ugly sobs.
“Fuck me,” Chigiri groans under his breath. “Let me have her. They might be hungry again.”
As Chigiri climbs back in bed, Barou places Yuji in the crook of Chigiri’s waiting arm, wrapping his own arm around his husband’s shoulders. “How's this?”
Nodding, Chigiri hums. He unbuttons his shirt with a sigh, tilting his arms just so for the girls to each latch onto one of his nipples, both of them red and swollen with abuse.
Both Barou and Chigiri let out a sigh as the girls' lips successfully wrap around Chigiri’s breasts, happily suckling on his warm milk.
“You good, baby?” Barou asks, kissing up his neck.
“Hurts likes a bitch,” Chigiri grunts, brows furrowing as he winces. “But hopefully, they'll sleep after this."
“You're doing so well, princess,” Barou whispers, rubbing the soft red hair atop Yuka’s head, then thumbing over Yuji’s rosy cheeks. “I'll stay up with you.”
Chigiri lets his head fall back against the headboard, his eyes falling closed. “Thank you,” he mouths silently, his shoulders going slack with relief.
“Anything for you, Hyou.”
Barou awakes to screams from down the hall.
Heart lurching in his chest, he rips off the covers and shoots right out of bed. He races down the hall, heading toward the sound, heaving with breath as he nears the girls’ bedroom.
Slamming the door open, he runs in. His heart nearly stops at the sight of both of the girls in Yuka’s bed, tears streaming down their twin heart-shaped faces.
“Daddy’s here, babies,” he sighs, pulling them both into his open arms. “What’s wrong, sweet girls?”
“Yuka had a bad dream,” Yuji whimpers, her voice still quiet with sleep. “So I couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh, poor baby. Your sister woke you up?” he asks, petting her hair smooth.
“No, daddy.” Yuji frowns, taking Yuka’s hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. “She’s awake so I’m awake.”
“We miss papa!” Yuka cries, wiping at her big eyes, wet with tears. “When’s he coming home?”
“He’ll be back tomorrow morning, angels.” Barou climbs into bed between them, letting out a deep breath as they lean into him. “Just close your eyes—”
“And he'll be back when we wake up?” Yuji whispers, blinking up at Barou, her little fist gripping his shirt.
Yuka’s lips turn down in a fat pout. “But that's so long!”
“It might seem like it, but you'll be dreaming all the way through it, sweetheart.” Barou leans down, pressing a kiss to the top of each of their heads. “Morning will come so quick. Daddy promises.”
With their tears dried and little bodies tucked tight under the covers, the twins fall asleep within minutes, softly snoring in his arms.
He blinks sleepily, yawning as he watches them happily dream away.
Barou tosses and turns, racked with anxious energy.
“You need to sleep, Shou,” Chigiri mumbles sleepily, rubbing a hand over his shoulder. “The girls are fine; Reo texted and they’ve been down for hours now.”
“You’re not worried?” Barou turns to his husband, shifting onto his side. “Reo isn’t really the greatest babysitter.”
“Shouei, I swear to you that—other than ours—they are in the best possible hands. Reo can handle them and Baya is there on standby too. They had dinner, they’re bathed and clean, and they are sleeping perfectly.”
“And you believe him?”
Groaning, Chigiri sits up in bed. “Oh my god, do you want him to send a fucking picture for proof?” he snaps, restless, with sarcasm hot on his breath. “Please try to relax! We haven’t had a night to ourselves in months, baby. They’re fine,” he adds reassuringly and the conversation is over.
Barou nods solemnly, pulling Chigiri back under the covers. Silence falls over them as they hold each other, Barou’s chest warm and close against Chigiri’s back, an arm slung around his middle.
Just as Chigiri’s breath finally evens out with sleep, Barou blinks, awake once more. “You think he’d send a video instead?”
“Barou Shouei, I’m going to murder you in your sleep.”
“You’re still up?”
Jumping at the sound, Barou whirls around, nearly dropping the bowl of icing in his arms.
“Jesus, baby,” he sighs, clutching his chest in fright, feeling his heart beat a mile a minute under his palm. “I thought you went to bed already!”
“The girls wanted to stay up a bit longer and I had some stuff to finish up in the office,” Chigiri says, hopping onto the kitchen counter. He pulls Barou close by his apron straps, gently kissing his lips. Dipping a finger into the icing for a taste, he nods at the oven. “You've been at this for hours now. What's your excuse?”
Placing the bowl on the counter, Barou turns and sinks to the floor on one knee, peering into the oven to get a better look at his creations. Two cakes sit perched on the rack, their fluffy tops happily puffing out from the cake trays.
“Yuka couldn't decide if she wanted rainbow or chocolate—” he stands, wiping his hands on the front of his apron, satisfied with the cakes’ progress “—and Yuji seemed happy with anything so I decided to make two, one for each of them.”
“You're a godsend, Shou. Thank you, handsome,” Chigiri grins, his giggle filling Barou’s chest with warmth. “Though, I think Yuka changed her mind to carrot cake after you left.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Barou rips off his apron and pulls his phone out of his back pocket, sighing as he looks at the time. “You think the mini mart is still open or should I just make it from scratch?”
The summer sound of cicadas hums through the open balcony door, accompanied by a perfectly cool afternoon breeze.
Barou swears his bed has never been more comfortable, swaddling him in its plush warmth.
Chigiri sits at his side with Yuka in his lap, his finger pointed and tracing through a picture book as he helps her through each word. Little Yuji sits in Barou’s lap, her big, sweet eyes blinking tiredly as she yawns into her father’s chest.
“You sleepy, baby?”
“Mhm,” Yuji hums quietly.
Chigiri lets out a laugh, a gentle melody to Barou’s ears. “Not you, angel. I meant your daddy.”
Barou snorts, his eyes struggling to stay open. “It might be naptime for Daddy.”
“You want me to take her, big boy?” Chigiri shifts backwards, closing the book and setting it on the side table.
“No, no. I’m good.” With Yuji still in his arms, Barou shuffles under the covers, pulling Chigiri and Yuka with him. His eyes fall closed as Chigiri curls into his side. “Just need my girls.”
In the arms of the ones he loves most, Barou finally falls asleep.