Work Text:
Ango sighs, the pouring rain showing no signs of letting up. And he went through the trouble of clearing his day for a park outing, with nothing to show for it.
Osamu emerges from the kitchen first, still clutching that awful suicide book. Child services tried to take it away multiple times but he would have a fit and refuse to stop crying for hours. “It’s raining, Ango-san?”
He turns and crouches, giving him an apologetic look. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. We need to stay inside today.”
Sakunosuke follows next and stares at the window. “That’s too bad. I wanna try the curry stand at the park.”
“They have a curry stand?”
“Mhm. They sell soup curry. It comes from Ho-ho-hokka-hokkaido.” He nods, most likely pleased with himself for sounding out the word and remembering that particular fact.
“Good job. And thank you for teaching me.” Ango truly believes Sakunosuke knows more about curry than any human alive.
Sakunosuke has trouble making facial expressions and putting emotion into his speech, but Ango has been closely paying attention to both to understand him better. And hearing and seeing his passion for curry in his own way when he talks about it makes all the effort worth it. “How about we do something at home, then?”
They both agree and Ango is thankful that they’re not too upset. He sets up an origami station on the living room’s low table, laying out sheets of colored paper for them to fold.
“Let’s start with an origami heart.” Ango folds the paper in half to make a diamond shape, then unfolds and folds again vertically. He waits as the boys’ tiny hands carefully mimic his movements. It’s easier for Sakunosuke to finish, and he helps Osamu with it.
There’s a small smile on Osamu’s face as they go through the steps, happy that his favorite person is helping him. They both gasp when it starts to look like a heart, then Ango helps them both with the tiny folds to finish them off.
Without prompting, Sakunosuke and Osamu exchange hearts, the former offering a purple one and the latter a green one. They’ve gotten so close in such a short time, taking great comfort in each other’s presence.
“That’s wonderful,” Ango says with a smile. “Remember to keep those safe.”
Osamu nods and carefully puts it in his book, which is sitting next to him on the floor. At least it’s not on the table this time.
Sakunosuke puts his heart in his front shirt pocket, then tilts his head. “Ango-san, who’s your heart for?”
Before Ango can answer, Osamu points at his pink one. “For Tsuji-san.” Sakunosuke adds in a “yeah, Tsuji-san,” as well.
Ango forces a smile. “R-right. She’ll love it.” He’s glad they’re so fond of Tsujimura, as she’s very fond of them. Though giving her such a thing would be incredibly inappropriate as her boss. And knowing her, she’d take it far too seriously and try to outmatch it. “Now, why don’t we make a frog next?”
Osamu looks up with the eye not covered in a medical patch and gauze, round and shining. “I really like frogs.”
“Frogs are good,” Sakunosuke agrees, and Osamu covers his face, even happier.
Ango gives them all green paper and guides them through the folds with his own. He helps them with the tricky parts that require them to pull and push at once. When everyone finishes, Sakunosuke gasps again and Osamu holds up his with a little yell. “It’s a frog!”
Ango nods. “You both did amazing. Now watch this.” He holds down the back legs and releases, making it jump up slightly.
“Wow!”
“Amazing.”
“Now, you both try it.”
They spend several minutes making their frogs hop around the table, giggling the whole time. Ango joins in, making his frog play with theirs.
It’s at that point that Ango notices Osamu's bandaged hands are shaking a little. “Osamu-chan, are your hands hurting?” He kicks himself for not realizing sooner. All that folding has to have stressed them out.
Osamu stops and shakes his head. “N-no, not today.”
He tries a different approach. “Are they tired?”
“Um. A little.”
“Do you want me to massage them?”
He thinks, then nods a little. “Okay.”
He reaches out and rubs the tiny hands gently, just like the doctor showed him.
Osamu’s face relaxes a bit, then he pulls back after a minute. “I-I’m good now. Thank you.”
“Thank you for telling me.” Osamu has been improving on his boundaries, which is a relief. Even a month ago, Ango would have needed to question him at least three times before he could even admit it.
“Saku-chan, would you like to take a break as well?”
Sakunosuke nods, serious. “Can you read my curry book to me?”
“Of course. Why don’t I make you both hot cocoa and lunch first, then we can all sit on the couch together and read?”
“Okay.”
“Yeah.”
They both stand and Sakunosuke reaches out a hand to hold Osamu’s, who takes it with a shy smile. They both run to their room for the book.
Ango watches them go with fondness. He stands and stretches, wincing at the pop of his joints, then sets for the kitchen.
The rest of the day passes by with a simple lunch of sandwiches and a good book, a nap, and another game before dinner. Ango makes a simple chicken curry for them, cutting the meat and vegetables while they help wash the rice and turn on the rice cooker.
Sakunosuke talks about his favorite part of the book (the part they read today) during dinner, waving his spoon and spilling a little curry on his pants. Osamu listens with his full attention, almost forgetting to eat.
Their night wash-up goes smoothly, then Ango puts them to bed. The pair sleep in their shared bed, curled up with a plush dog and fox in their arms as he tucks them in. He ensures the night light is on, as both of them are terrified of complete darkness.
Becoming the legal guardian to two five-year-olds wasn’t something he would have predicted even six months ago, but it’s quite literally the best decision he’s ever made. Seeing the progress they’ve both made and how brave they’ve been throughout it has given Ango more pride and joy than his former workaholic days could ever have.