Work Text:
Tohru stood at the sink, washing up after breakfast with her family, listening to the sounds of her two boys playing in the next room.
Well, more accurately, she was listening to Hajime explain, in painstaking detail, the entire concept of trains to his eighteen-month-old brother, Yuma, while they played with their train set.
“…so if you see rails, there’s probably a train that goes there! And if there’s no rails, then the train can’t go there. Remember, we took the train when we visited Mutsuki and Uncle Yuki and…”
It was so precious, the way Hajime had eagerly stepped into the role of big brother. He was always doting on Yuma, telling him everything he could about the world so Yuma would be ready for anything. And since he’d begun learning to read, she’d caught him reading aloud to Yuma at every opportunity.
The fact that they both looked so much like Kyo made her heart sing. It was incredible; they were living, breathing proof of the life she and Kyo had made together after the curse broke.
Proof that the curse was broken, and that Kyo got to have a future like he’d always deserved.
Seeing them grow into their personalities was also such a treasure. Hajime was so much like Kyo; straightforward, responsible, always looking out for Yuma. And maybe Yuma was still learning to talk, but he was already so different from his brother. He seemed happy wherever they were, whatever they were doing, as long as he was with family.
Especially his big brother.
Tohru smiled at the sound of soft footsteps on the stairs.
“Hey,” Kyo said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as he arrived at her side. He leaned back against the counter to watch their sons playing together. “Hajime’s really givin’ him a whole lecture on trains, isn’t he?”
Tohru giggled, drying her hands before turning around so she could watch them, too. “Hajime-kun takes after his father,” she said.
Kyo gave an embarrassed grin. “At least he can do a proper jab. Anyway, I’m just gonna toss these back in for a second wash,” Kyo said, holding up some of the boys’ playclothes.
“Oh no! Did you use-”
“Oxygen bleach? Yeah. They’re a lot better’n when they went in, I just- what’re you lookin’ at me like that for!?”
Tohru was beaming at him. “It’s just cute, that you want their playclothes to be stain-free.”
“Well, yeah!”
“Kyo-kun, they’re play clothes. They’re supposed to get dirty!”
Kyo gave her a wry look. “That damn Yuki’s a bad influence,” he teased. “I’ll come get Yuma in a bit to put him down for his nap, okay?”
He kissed the top of her head once more and set off to wash the boys’ clothes a second time while Tohru returned to the sink to wash the last of the dishes.
Once she’d finished the dishes, Tohru moved on to the rest of the kitchen. She wiped the countertops and stove, swept the floor, and then came to the main room to wipe down the chabudai.
She was a little surprised to see that the train set was already put away and the boys were gone; she hadn’t heard Kyo come down to get Yuma at all! But Hajime always put their toys away when Yuma went down for his nap. He was no doubt helping his father hang the laundry out on the upstairs balcony.
She had just finished her cleaning when her husband’s soft footsteps sounded once more.
“Oh, did you put him down already?” Kyo asked.
“Huh?”
“Tohru,” Kyo said quietly. “Where are the boys?”
Tohru blinked. “Didn’t you just put Yuma-kun down for a nap?”
“No, I just came down here to get him!”
Tohru’s stomach plummeted. She looked around frantically. “Oh no! I-I thought they were with you, Kyo— I lost the kids!”
Kyo sprang into action at once. “I’ll take upstairs, you look down here,” he said, already running back up the stairs.
Tohru began in the main room, looking under the chabudai, behind the TV, anywhere she could think of that a five-year-old and an eighteen-month-old could hide. She checked inside each of the kitchen cabinets, and breathed a small sigh of relief that the front door was still closed and locked before racing down the hall to check the wash rooms.
They weren’t in the shower room, inside the washing machine, nor were they in the cabinet under the stairs. She was getting ready to call the police when Kyo appeared, wearing an exasperated grin.
“Did you find them!?”
“Yup,” he said, his grin growing wider.
What a relief! “Where were they?”
Kyo shook his head. “Maybe it’s better if you come see for yourself.”
“…Huh!?”
“Just… trust me. C’mon.”
He took her hand and led her up the stairs into Yuma’s room. He pressed a finger to his lips and motioned for her to put her ear against the wall next to Yuma’s closet door.
It was soft, but what she heard melted her heart.
“…train goes fast. ‘Choo-choo!’ says the train. This train r-”
“Oh my goodness, Kyo-kun!” she whispered. “Is that his new book?”
Kyo nodded, a soft smile on his face. “He’s reading to Yuma. Listen.”
“-and see, Yuma? There’s steam comin’ outta this train, just like it says!”
Tohru’s eyes welled. Their boys were already so close; it made her unbelievably happy.
She and Kyo listened together as Hajime finished reading to his brother. When he got to the end, Kyo put a hand on the doorknob and raised an eyebrow at Tohru.
You ready? he mouthed.
Tohru nodded and he opened the door. There, on the floor of Yuma’s closet, were their two sons. Hajime had Yuma on his lap, his book in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Little Yuma was nodding off, his tiny fingers wrapped around Hajime’s thumbs.
“Yuma looks pretty tired, Hajime,” Kyo said quietly. “Why don’t you go downstairs with Mom while I put him to bed.”
“Okay, Dad,” Hajime replied.
Kyo lifted his younger son off of Hajime’s lap, and Hajime followed his mother downstairs, still clutching his book in his other hand.
“Mom?” he said, closing the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs behind him.
“Yes, Hajime-kun?”
“Why does Yuma gotta take naps?”
Tohru smiled, sitting down at the chabudai. “Yuma-kun is growing very fast, Hajime-kun! It’s very hard work to grow.”
Hajime frowned. “Then why don’t I need naps?”
“Well, remember, you used to nap, too!”
“But am I gonna stop growing?”
“Of course not! You just get all your sleep at nighttime, like me and Daddy.”
They both heard Kyo pad quietly down the stairs before he joined them at the chabudai.
“Hajime,” he began, “why did you take Yuma into the closet?”
“To read,” Hajime answered bluntly.
Tohru suppressed a giggle as she watched Kyo wrestle with whether or not to laugh.
“I think what Daddy wants to know is why did you need to be in the closet to read to your brother, Hajime-kun?”
Hajime curled in on himself. “I heard Dad say it was almost Yuma’s nap time. I wanted to read the whole book to him.”
“You’re a very caring big brother, Hajime-kun!”
Hajime nodded earnestly. "I was gonna put him to bed after!"
“And you really like readin’ to him, don’t you?” Kyo said.
“Yeah! Yuma’s a real good listener!”
Kyo smiled. “He is. You know, Hajime, your mom and I were really scared when we couldn’t find you two.”
“You were?” Hajime asked, looking back and forth from Kyo to Tohru.
“Yes, we were very afraid we’d lost you!”
“But I thought…” Hajime began, his brow wrinkled. “I thought grown-ups didn’t get scared?”
“Why’d you think that, Hajime?”
“Well, because whenever I’m scared, you always help me feel better.”
Tohru’s eyes met Kyo’s, and to her surprise, they were misty.
“Can- can I tell you a secret, Hajime?” Kyo asked, his voice thick.
Hajime nodded seriously.
“Sometimes, even when I’m helpin’ you feel better, I’m scared, too.”
Hajime’s eyes went wide. “Really?”
“Really,” Kyo answered. “So… next time you wanna read your brother a book, and you’re worried you won’t have enough time to finish, can you just ask your mom or me?”
Hajime nodded. “Yeah. And… and I’m sorry for scarin’ you, Mom and Dad.”
“It’s okay, Hajime-kun! Now you know, for next time!”
“Yeah.” He looked around. “I’m gonna go read another book!”
“Okay. Just… no more readin’ in closets.”
“Yup!” Hajime called, already at the foot of the stairs.
With Hajime off to his room, Kyo let out a long sigh.
“That kid… I swear, he’s gonna give me a heart attack one day.”
Tohru giggled. “I told you, he takes after you, Kyo-kun.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?”
“Oh, just… he reminds me of you back in high school, always studying hard in your room.”
“You’re makin’ it sound like I was some secret nerd!”
“You were very cute!”
Kyo shook his head fondly. “What am I gonna do with you?”
“I have some ideas,” Tohru said, a suggestive grin spread over her face.
“’S’long as they don’t involve readin’ in closets,” Kyo muttered.
“I had something different in mind,” Tohru replied airily.
She watched as the meaning of her words dawned on Kyo. He stood and sped toward the stairs, Tohru following close behind.