Inspired by the song "Mr. Mom" by Lonestar.

Story Birth: 3-13-11 [Sunday]

5:30pm

"Are you sure this is all right, Rei?"

"Yes, everything will be fine."

His wife cast him an anxious glance as she hesitates to put on her coat. "Are you absolutely sure because I can still decline the night shift—"

Rei cut her off with a kiss and grinned.

"What do you take me for, Aya? Don't you have faith in me?"

"Of course I do—"

"Then just leave it to me," Rei reassured. "I have everything under control, so just go to work."

..

xOx

..

[3 Hours later]

God am I stupid.

Rei stared at what remained of the house that Aya had spent the previous day cleaning. It had only been three hours since his wife had left for her night shift, and the house was already in ruins; crayon markings decorated the walls, stains speckled the carpet, and a faint scent of smoke from supper time still lingered in the air. He could already picture Aya's horrified expression when she returned in the morning.

Worn out and ragged, Rei propped open a window to ventilate the burnt odor then seated himself on the couch, contemplating whether to call for Yuuya to bring him a drink or continue on solo. His gaze dropped to the empty take-out boxes scattered across the coffee table. Procrastination rushed through him and the trash continued to be ignored. Rei sighed.

Thank god it's bedtime…

A one month old golden retriever, Sho, came trotting up to where Rei sat and placed its head on the open seat next to him. Brown eyes peered up at Rei as he stared back.

"You do know that one of those stains on the carpet is yours," he said to the dog.

The retriever gave a small whimper and nudged its master's knee with its nose.

"Yeah, I know," Rei sighed. "It's my fault for forgetting to let you out. All right then, come up here." A gracious bark filled Rei's ears and a great pile of golden fur happily situated itself next to him. Rei relaxed into the couch and scratched the canine's ears.

"Dogs have such easy lives," Rei muttered enviously as his pet proceeds to roll onto its back for a belly rub to which Rei obliged. "Spoiled rotten.."

The heartthrob continued to relax and give attention to his dog for another 15 minutes before uneasiness came over him. The house was quiet, too quiet. Usually the peace would be broken by the cries of the baby or the 3-year-old daughter. Rei rubbed his head, shifting to a more comfortable position as he tried to ignore his discomfort and enjoy this quiet pastime.

"UWAAAAH!"

So much for that.

Rei jumped up from the couch and hurried to the baby room where his son was crying in his crib. He lifted the baby up and cradled him in his arms. "Hey, why're you crying this time?" Rei said to his son. He gently bounced his son up and down in attempt to comfort him. The rocking chair nearby caught his eyes. Rei stared and pondered the option.

"That's more fitting for Aya," Rei concluded and continued his method of calming. He grinned in satisfaction as his son's cries were reduced to a yawn then deep slumber soon after. Rei gently laid his infant back in his crib just as he heard a sniffle by the doorway. He turned to see his first born, nose stricken red with tears streaming down her cheeks, standing next to the golden retriever in the doorway.

"Otou-san..," his daughter croaked out between her sobs.

"What's wrong, Shiuri?" Rei asked as he made his way towards her. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Shiuri nodded as she wiped her tears with one hand, the other clutching her blanket. Rei kneeled down and hugged his daughter, patting her head. "It's all right, it's just a dream," he reassured. "Do you want to sleep with Sho tonight?"

Shiuri nodded again and held her arms out to Rei. Rei picked her up and carried her back to her bedroom with the retriever trotting behind, his tail wagging happily. Sho lept onto the bed as Rei tucked his daughter in. Shiuri wrapped her arms around her furry sleep mate and snuggled close to the new-added warmth. Rei smiled and stayed beside his daughter until she fell asleep before returning to the living room to turn off the lights and double check the doors. Once everything was locked and turned off, Rei didn't hesitate to send himself to bed. He flopped down onto his bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

"So lucky that I didn't have to work the whole night," Aya sighed in relief as she dug for the house keys in her purse. "At least I got five hours of overtime on my next check. I wonder how Rei and the kids are doing."

With extra cautious, Aya gently closed the front door and took her shoes off. Her eyes immediately settled on the empty take-out boxes littering the coffee table. She smiled to herself, having a good grasp of the night's predicament. Making little noise as possible, she scooped the boxes into the trash bag and placed the garbage near the entryway for tomorrow morning. She then proceeded to check up on her kids, smiling at her daughter snuggling with the family dog and her baby sleeping soundly in their beds.

Her smile grew wider and softer as she was greeted with the scene of her husband sleeping just as deeply in their bed. Careful not to wake him, Aya changed her clothes and tiptoed to the bed. She pulled the covers up over Rei and slipped in beside him. A pair of strong arms encircled Aya's waist and warm breath tickled her neck.

"Welcome home," Rei muttered half-awake.

"Did I wake you?" Aya said softly as she burrowed herself into his chest.

"No," Rei breathed, his head resting on top of his wife's. "You're home early."

"We finished our work early so they're going to add the hours onto our overtime," Aya yawned. "You did a good job with the kids, Rei."

"Aa.."

"Did you balance the checkbook?"

Rei flinched and tightened his hold on Aya. "Goodnight," he said briskly with a kiss. Aya laughed and settled for sleep in her husband's arms.

"Goodnight Rei."

- End -

12-18-12 [Friday]

- Lilypadcakes