Warning for slight mature language and mild yaoi scenes (yaoi smut? Can't promise you anything).
This fic is inspired from Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" for some reason and I felt like writing about Takano's actual kiddo (not adopted) so yeah OC involved story, not a marry sue so it should be fine. Give me a chance :) it might be worth your while so feel free to tell me what you think at the end of the chapter~
Anyway, hope you like it!
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"She wanted to see you."
It was only just one knock on the door that changed his life in a flash, it was all it took to shook him on the inside to the bones but it wasn't enough to appall his apathetic nature. His bored amber eyes scanned the two figures in front of him as he puffed on his cigarette on an early morning. There stood a small little girl in blue laced dress and next to her would unmistakably her mother in white coat and slim black boots.
"Who is she?" he asked, his gaze fixated on the timid little girl gripping on her mother's skirt. The woman was familiar but not the little girl at all.
"Your daughter." The older woman said plain as day. The blue of her eyes revealed only unpleasant memories from years they met. Her hair black as the night skies, impressively extending down her waists, he had always liked girls with long hair as he remembered.
"I see." he blinked. All bits from his past came flashing into his mind. Her face, her voice, everything came back to him. How could he not remember? She had been his girlfriend before and after he was with Onodera. The first night they spent together was the last he saw her. That made him wonder that time, especially now that his daughter was presented to him right off the bat.
The girl simply yawned and rubbed the sleep on her eyes with the back of her small hands. She resembled nothing from Takano, she had his ash-gray hair and pale skin but she was more of a carbon copy of her mother, "Nice to meet you," she said softly. Her accent sounded unnatural even from the looks of her age.
"You're sleepy," her mother remarked.
Takano immediately reached out his hand the girl, "You should take a nap on the couch," he paused, not knowing her name and how he immediately learned to be considerate right away to the unknown girl.
"Shion," the older woman added, "that's her name. I told her that meeting you right away after we arrived from the airport could wait but here she is, all wobbly and sleepy after insisting," she then took the girl's hand, "We'll come later again."
"No," Takano left the cigarette on his other hand unattended, "she should stay here while I talk to you, Shiori."
"She's your daughter. Nothing further to talk about. It's for you to believe it or not, we'll leave Japan sooner or later anyway," her eyes never met his, and didn't look too happy to see him.
"And that's exactly one of the reasons we should talk," he replied calmly, hiding the confusion he was holding in his mind. Takano took the girl's other hand and stubbornly suggested for her to stay.
He was so much focused in pursuing Onodera that he had overlooked what happened with his long lost relationship with her.
Onodera was that one person or guy who had been occupying his mind ever since he started working for him. And ironically, Onodera left him as well after he slept with him, and was given parting gift of a roundhouse kick so he was also left in confusion of why he did that to him. But still, he loved no one just as much as he did for Onodera.
"She can stay here, but I can't bear a minute with you," she said bluntly. It was deja vu all over again, another cold shoulder from someone who disappeared in front of his eyes without knowing a single reason, as if he was the only one left out from the truth. In fact, he believed he wasn't fully the one at fault or even the one at fault and yet he was treated like some sort of delinquent, why the hell was he that unlucky with breakups? He had the right to know some explanation, he thought to himself.
The two stared and neither spoke a word for what felt like a decade, so Shion was fast asleep from where she stood. Takano carried her to the couch and covered her in thick layers of blanket from the chill. Shiori took that as a chance to leave since Takano couldn't do anything about it, her brows nearly clashed one another as she gave him one last look. Women were far more complexed creatures and he vowed not to attempt to ask about their past relationship but he broke that vow right away when Shiori decided to pick up Shion but was still sleeping on the couch. And when she ignored his questions with a cynical coated tone of her voice, Takano broke his vow again and again until it was turning into an attempt to annoy the answers from her.
"Oi, say something," he sat next to her and poked her shoulder.
"Masamune. Don't," nudging her daughter awake, Takano caught her hand to stop her from doing so, in which she snapped at him for, "Don't touch me," she hissed.
"You know, everything will make sense if you'd just tell me what happen back then."
"It doesn't even matter anymore," she rubbed the spot on her hand in disgust where he had left his touch.
Takano only recalled that he had gotten more booze that he could possibly take that night she left him, he wasn't sure why he did that to himself but he actually called her (instead of his close friend Yokozawa) to come get him from the bar. She immediately arrived and was rather furious with how wasted he looked so she brought him to his apartment because it was the closest. And then of course, that's when it took place but he had no idea what happened after or why she disappeared like thin air. It would make much less sense if she bailed from him because she got pregnant, she knew far too well he wasn't the type to run from that sort of responsibility.
Even though she finally showed up, he was still no closer to the truth, especially about their daughter, why did she keep her away from him for years?
"To you it isn't but to me it is. Just tell me what happened and I'll fuck off, all right?"
Shiori took a deep sigh and collected her thoughts before she could say anything she'd regret on later.
"You–"
"Mom... I'm hungry," the little girl suddenly rose from slumber, her words were mumbled in fluent English as if she was born to speak the language.
"Let's go then," she responded with the same language, "say goodbye to your dad."
"But I didn't get to talk to him," Shion complained.
"Shiori...! Stop running away from me. " Takano grabbed her wrist, not knowing another way out of the situation, everything was happening too fast for him to comprehend. This woman in front of him was someone who stayed with him when was falling apart and he did try to fall in love with her but some lines were blurred and foggy in his memories about her.
"I'm sorry. I just can't... Not right now," her eyes drooped down on their daughter. Takano only nodded heavily at her rash decision to keep the answers to herself.
"Mom, can I please stay for a bit?" Shion this time, was the one pestering her, "I'll be good! I promise."
It didn't take very long for Shiori to give in, well to her daughter at least, "All right. I'll come again tomorrow." She brushed off Takano's hand away then glared at him, "Do something weird and I'll skin you from where you stand."
Takano felt thankful at the small chance he was given, ignoring the threat, his shoulder blades relaxed a bit, "Wouldn't even think of it."
The dark haired woman stormed out of his unit without a word, just seeing his face already caused old wounds to come fresh and much more painful within her.
When she left, the room was engulfed with awkward silence for a few minutes, but Takano was the first one to have spoken, "Where have you been living?"
The girl responded quick with her unnatural Japanese accent, "London UK. Mom works for someone there."
And with that, Takano was lost in thoughts, he had never been with children before, much less take care of one while the mother was away. "I see," he studied her face once more since he barely got the chance. A carbon copy of her mother indeed, but she almost looked like a porcelain doll to him, staring right into his soul. Her little feet were hanging above the cold floor as she swung it back and forth expecting him to talk more.
There was another eerie silence once again, the conversation started sudden as it ended so he decided to break it, "Didn't you say you were hungry?" He stood from his seat and gently fumbled with his daughter's fine soft hair, he noticed the thin strands that were barely seen in the light, much like the thread of the spider's.
"Yes," she poked at her own stomach, "it's making weird noises."
"Of course it would," for some reason his lips lightly formed a smile at her, perhaps it was only a small amount of happiness just by seeing his own daughter that he never knew of for the first time. Shiori barely provided any proof but it appeared that it wasn't really necessary at all. He could already feel that she was no mistakenly his daughter.
Takano remembered that he hadn't have gone to the groceries yet so his fridge was pretty much empty, "How about we eat out?" he asked, carrying her with no effort into his arms.
"Yes!" she returned his gentle smile.
"Do you have a phone? You should call your mother first before she strangles me that you're not here."
"Eh... Yeah I do," Shion reached for her phone in her pocket but before she could dial, an incoming call alerted both of them with its loud ringtone, "Can I?"
Takano nodded and placed her down the ground to give her some space for the call, "Go ahead."
She answered the call with a cheery voice, "Shousei!" she exclaimed happily, though Takano couldn't hear very well who was on the other line, "I'm here with daddy. He looks like an older version of you!"
What...?
The girl went on a few minutes to describe her father to the unknown person of the call, "You don't wanna talk to him?" she frowned and lowered her voice this time, "Okay. Take care. Bye." Shion looked over to Takano, giggled and smiled once more, "He he... Let's go!"
At exactly twelve midnight, a series of bangs at the door to the apartment could be heard even by nearby neighbors and it was no doubt who it was, "Open up already," said Shiori, kicking the door several more times.
Takano quickly rose from his couch where he had slept in due the obvious sudden sharp blows on his door, his footsteps were heavy as he went for the door and finally opening it with a cynical glare across his face, "What the fuck? Does the country you were in have a tradition of breaking down other people's doors at midnight?"
"A day has passed, I came to pick her up."
"Are you serious? She's practically sleeping like any other kid right now," he said, squinting at her face in the dark. A sliver of light from the street post helped in identifying the unamused expression on her face.
"Yes, yes I am."
Just before she could march in the room, both were startled by a furious neighbor who appeared to be lacking his sleep due to bags under bags of his eyes, "Takano-san! What's with all the ruckus?!"
"Onodera?" Takano looked over to him, meeting his deathly glare.
Slowly glancing sideways, the dark haired woman stood with her jaws nearly dropping and her eyes widened by a fraction, "Onodera...?"