Excuse me, rewrite! I'm gonna procrastinate on another Blue Exorcist story! (At least I'm working on a story. That's good, right…?)
The last Blue Exorcist fic I wrote was about Daddy!Rin. What I didn't know when I posted it on was that the day after I put the story up was Father's Day. It felt…weird, since the fic itself wasn't intended to be a Father's Day story, which is how I wound up writing this story, just to sate those annoying urges. Totally didn't do it to have a reason to write another Blue Exorcist fic. I'm certain that someone is out of character, but hopefully it's still believable.
Summary: Rin joins Yukio to belatedly celebrate Father's Day by visiting Shiro's grave. (Future!fic)
Disclaimer: Blu Rose does not own the Blue Exorcist series. If she did, the anime would've at least shone shined more light on certain details.
X-X-X
5-year old Rin sat in a corner of his room, holding a piece of paper. He was staring at a crayon drawing of Shiro. It was childishly drawn, but that was good enough for a boy his age. That's what Rin thought before he'd seen Yukio give his own drawing to their foster father. In comparison, it didn't look as neat or well-drawn. Yukio had obviously taken his time in drawing it, making sure he colored within the lines and drew everything properly. Rin, on the other hand, had drawn Shiro's body too small—or his head too big, it was hard to tell—and haphazardly colored to the point of mixing colors. Who'd want something like this as a Father's Day present? Biting his lower lip, the dark-haired boy began ripping the paper apart into big chunks.
"Rin?" He heard a voice he didn't want to hear and turned his head. Shiro was poking his head into the room. "Is something wrong?" Rin shook his head and looked down. He heard the sound of footsteps, but refused to look up even as he saw Shiro's feet in front of him. "What's this?"
"S'nothing," the child mumbled as he gripped the paper pieces tightly.
"It doesn't look like nothing to me." Shiro bent down and made to take the pieces, but Rin swatted his hand aside with enough power that it actually made the priest's hand sore.
"I said it's nothing!" The boy screamed.
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't make such a big deal over it, would you?"
Rin bowed his head. "…It's ugly," he mumbled. "You won't like it."
"Eh? And how do you know what my tastes are?" Shiro kneeled and took the papers out of Rin's hands. The dark-haired boy took a breath as his father made puzzling noises. Eventually, he looked up and noticed that he was assembling Rin's drawing like it was a jigsaw puzzle. When it was finished, he asked, "Is this me?" Feeling ashamed, the child nodded. Shiro smiled. "It's pretty good."
"Really?!" Rin suddenly exclaimed before he started to frown. "No, it's not! You're lying!"
"Hm? What makes you think I'm lying?"
"Because!" The boy started feeling depressed again. "Because Yukio's is better. Mine is ugly..."
Shiro raised a hand and began to ruffle Rin's hair with a smile. "It's not the gift itself that matters. It's the feelings behind it. And I can tell that you worked hard on this, Rin."
"So…you like it? Even though it's all messed up and stuff?"
"I love it. Thank you, Rin!" The boy grinned broadly, happy that his guardian was pleased.
X-X-X
The sensation of a tiny, chubby hand touching his own snapped Rin out of his thoughts. He wasn't sure what had brought back that memory, of all things, but the sound of children at play reminded him that they were at a park. He looked down and saw his year old son Kazuki standing in front of him inside of the playhouse. Kazuki's free hand was raised while the other was the back of his father's hand. He made a noise that made it sound like he was whining, his blue eyes almost seeming like they were pleading. "You wanna get out now? Come on." Taking hold of his hand, Rin led the baby boy over to the top of the slide before positioning himself at the bottom. "Alright! Come on down, Kazuki-chan!" After a few seconds of preparation, Kazuki slid down into his father's hands. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" The child made a noise of curiosity before he tried to climb up the slide, but his father held him back. "That's not how you're supposed to do it." Kazuki began banging his palms on the slide, making it and the whole playhouse shake. He seemed to enjoy watching it happen, as he was smiling and giggling. Rin immediately pulled him away, frowning. "If you're going to do that, I'm not letting you play on it!"
Kazuki began moving his hands and feet as he squirmed in his father's grasp. When Rin turned the boy around so that his face was against his chest, tiny fists pounded against him as the child bawled loudly. If he kept doing that to the slide, it would've wound up in pieces…just like their last visit a month ago. And when that happened, Rin blamed the accident on faulty equipment and didn't even think about bringing his boy back for a month, and even then it was at his wife's insistence that he go out and play with other little kids. The exorcist was worried that it'd lead to an accident and Kazuki being labeled as some little monster when he was really a nice kid who didn't know the sort of damage he could cause.
Rin stood in place as he waited for his son to stop his little tantrum. Eventually, he stopped hitting his father against the chest, but now he was making some tame cooing sounds as he continued trying to wriggle his way to freedom. The blue-haired man looked over his shoulder and saw him staring at the swings. "If you promise to be good, I'll let you play." Kazuki looked up at his daddy with his large blue eyes. Rin immediately broke down, sighing, "Alright, you can play on the swingset!" He just prayed that the toddler wouldn't wreck it.
Minutes later, as Rin was still pushing his giggling son on the swing, his cellphone began to vibrate in his pants and a familiar ringtone he hadn't heard in quite a while played. Still pushing Kazuki with one hand, he took the phone out and answered it. "Hey, Yukio!"
"Hello, Rin." It was nice to hear Yukio's voice, even if it was over the phone. If they weren't performing their duties as exorcists, Yukio was teaching cram school students and Rin was spending time with his family. Even if it was natural, Rin missed his brother and wanted them to get together for more than just exorcising demons.
"Yu!" Kazuki chirped and began to bounce in the seat. Rin gripped the chains to stop the entire swingset from shaking, but it just made the baby swing from side to side as he chanted, "Yuuuu! Yuuuu!"
"I just came back from my mission." The younger twin had been gone for over a week, on a mission to exorcise a demon somewhere in the north of Japan.
"Since when?"
"It's been…a few hours."
"A couple of hours, huh? So, since you're calling, does that mean you're coming for a visit, Uncle Yukio?" Rin then positioned the cellphone next to Kazuki, allowing Yukio to hear the chanting of his nephew's little nickname for him for a few seconds. "I don't know what you did to make him like you, but he always gets like that whenever he hears your name!" He said with a chuckle.
"Rin. Do you know what last week Sunday was?" Last week Sunday? Rin thought back. He remembered that he'd been sent off on a mission last week Saturday, didn't get back home until Sunday night and slept until Monday afternoon. "It was Father's Day." Rin's eyes widened in surprise and he loosened his grip on the swing's chains. "Did you go to visit Father?" He forgot. He forgot it was Father's Day and he forgot to visit the old man's grave. How the hell could he forget? "Rin? Are you still there?"
"…I, uh…I forgot it was Father's Day then…"
Rin had expected Yukio to chastise him, maybe throw an insult or two at him. But instead, his answer was, "…You forgot, too, huh?" The answer had made the elder twin surprised. Yukio was hardly one to forget something. "We can still visit him…together." Together. It'd been a long time since they visited the old man together. Their schedules were so different now, they couldn't even run into each other.
"Of course. I'll meet you there." After hanging up, the man stared at his phone. How could he forget about Father's Day?
X-X-X
14-year old Yukio glared down at his elder twin brother, who was sprawled out on his bed. "Rin. Why didn't you get Father a gift?"
"I got him a gift!" A last minute gift, but a gift nonetheless. And it was something that made the old man happy, so where was the problem?
A slight blush appeared on Yukio's cheeks for a few seconds. "That sort of book is hardly a gift for Father's Day." The book was one of those perverted things that the old man liked reading when he thought no one was looking.
Rin closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "The old man didn't seem to mind. He was giggling like a schoolboy who got a look at some girl's panties or somethin'!" He started laughing to himself while his younger brother sighed. Cracking open an eye, Rin glanced at Yukio. "…What's with that glare? You upset that he looked happier with my gift than yours?"
"…Why don't you just admit that you forgot what today was and you picked that up at the last minute?"
The older brother sat up. "I didn't forget! I always intended on giving him that book as his gift!"
Yukio sighed in frustration and adjusted his glasses. "…I'm so ashamed of you."
Rin's eye twitched. "Well, excuse me for not giving him another lame tie or cologne like we've done every other year before! Besides, it's the thought that counts and he liked it!"
"It's a matter of taste, Rin!"
"I know his taste! He's a dirty-minded old man who likes gawkin' at hot ladies!"
The Okumura twins glared at each other in silence for a few seconds before Yukio spoke up, "Next year, would you please put more effort into choosing a gift? For Father's sake?"
X-X-X
Yukio stood outside of the graveyard, staring up at the gate in thought. The brunette usually hated being late when it came to things of importance, especially for something as personal as this. However, it wasn't the fact that he was celebrating Father's Day a whole week late that made Yukio upset at himself, but the fact that he'd forgotten the holiday altogether. In the years before, even after going up in the ranks of exorcists, he would always remember to visit his father's grave, if not on the actual date, then a day before or after, but never would he forget it entirely. Rin forgetting made sense: he had been through a lot in the past year.
"YUUUUUU!"
The brunette man straightened up and pushed his doubts to the back of his mind. Down the sidewalk, he could make out his brother, but simply hearing little Kazuki shout at the top of his lungs was enough of an entrance. Yukio found himself closing the distance and met his brother halfway. "You brought Kazuki-chan?"
"Mm-hm. We were at the park when you called, so I figured he'd like to see Gramps as well as you."
"Gramps?"
Rin looked down at his baby boy, who was grabbing onto Yukio's uniform. "I've never brought him here before. I told myself I would one day because I figured he…he oughta know who his grandpa was, you know?"
"…Of course," said Yukio before he realized what his nephew was doing. He kept chanting 'Yu' over and over and seemed to be trying to get out of Rin's arms and onto Yukio. In seconds, the younger twin had his nephew placed into his arms by his brother. "What are you doing?!"
"I thought you might want to hold him. You're his favorite uncle, after all!" Rin said with a smile. Never mind that he was the only uncle he'd even met.
"To be honest, I don't really want to." While his uncle spoke, Kazuki was touching the bandage on his cheek before Yukio stopped him from pulling it off. "Don't do that."
"What? You got a problem with him?"
When the toddler tried to touch it again, Yukio once again pulled the baby's hand away when it got too close. "Do you remember what happened the last time I held him?"
Rin looked sheepish as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm sure he didn't mean to break your glasses! He was just looking at them!"
"He threw them against a wall."
"Don't tell me you're going to hold a grudge against a child?" When his little brother's only response was to stare blankly at him, the blue-haired man reached out and took his son back, but not without him pouting and whining. "There, there. Uncle Yu is probably just being a meanie because he's cranky. He hasn't had a chance to rest yet." Kazuki continued to whine, prompting Rin to hold his hand out, which in turn made Yukio arch an eyebrow. "…You've got a spare pair on ya, right? Think you could give me one?" Yukio simply walked onto the graveyard ground without a word. "Calm down, I was only kidding! Sheesh…"
The walk through the graveyard was spent in idle talk until they reached the grave of their late father. It was a bit weathered, but still in good condition. The Okumura twins bowed their heads in silence while Kazuki just stared at the cross at the headstone in confusion. When the child began squirming, his father opened his eyes and began to speak, "This is Grandpa Shiro." Both Yukio and Kazuki looked at him as he added, "He was Daddy's daddy. And Uncle Yukio's daddy, too."
"Da?"
"Yeah. He raised us and he put up with us…well, he put up with me. He was strong and kind…maybe a bit weird sometimes with bad habits you'd think a priest wouldn't have." Rin's voice sounded like he wanted to laugh as he remembered, but his expression was somber. "But he was a great dad, and he…" For a brief moment, he thought about the day he died. "Really cared about us. Up to his dying day."
X-X-X
He couldn't believe it. Rin had intended on making a simple lunch, but found himself making oden, and in the middle of summer at that. He wasn't sure how he got to making it…or maybe he did. Today had been Father's Day, after all. He had to go and visit the old man's grave by himself because Yukio had some exorcist duties to attend to, and when he got back to their dorm, the Exwire found himself remembering the last Father's Day he'd been able to spend with Shiro and the last gift he got him.
…He should've put more thought into it.
"Rin!"
Rin suddenly stood upright and he finally noticed his brother looking at him from outside of the kitchen. "Oh, hey." He smiled in a welcoming manner, hoping that Yukio wouldn't notice if he was sulking. "Welcome back."
The younger brother's eyes fell onto the pot. "What are you making?"
"Oden!"
Yukio blinked in confusion. "In summer? What made you wanna make it?"
Rin's smile faded and he looked down at the pot sadly. "The old man liked oden," Rin spoke somberly. "Do you remember the last Father's Day we spent with him? You were all upset about what I got him. So I decided that for the next year, I'd just make his favorite food. That way, neither of you would complain." Even though the old man never really complained about how crappy or untasteful his gifts were. "I got so caught up thinking about tomorrow that I found myself making this." The half-demon stared down at the broth in thought for a few seconds before saying, "You're gonna go tomorrow, right? You're not gonna be too busy to go, are you?" He understood if Yukio's responsibilities kept him busy: he taught classes at the cram school, took classes at the regular school, and also worked missions from time to time, but it couldn't hurt to go to the graveyard for a little while, right?
When Yukio opened his mouth, Rin was sure he was going to answer with an honest "no" and say that he had something important to do tomorrow. But instead, he smiled and said, "Of course. I'm not that busy. We'll even go together, if you'd like." A lie and a promise wrapped up into one. When was Yukio never busy doing something? But the older sibling knew he'd keep it. If not for him, then for the old man. "But…what're you going to do with all that oden?"
"We're gonna eat it, of course! You, me and Kuro!" So what if he hadn't intended to make it? Food was food, after all, seasonal preferences be damned. "And you better eat it all! It's only proper manners!"
X-X-X
Rin fell silent for a few seconds before he took a deep breath and forced himself to smile for Kazuki. "So you'd better be proud of him, Kazuki-chan! If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be here! If you're lucky, your old man will be just as good of a dad as Gramps was!" Kazuki remained silent and went back to staring at the headstone. Yukio was certain that was the longest the child had kept quiet. "I'm sure you'd have liked him…and I know he'd have liked you."
"…Yeah. He would," Yukio mumbled just loud enough for his brother to hear.
"Hey. Aren't you gonna say something about the old man? It's only fair."
"What else is there to say when you've basically said it all?" The brunette twin stared in silence for a moment before he looked down at Kazuki. "If you want your father to be like your grandfather, you have to be as troublesome as he was growing up, if not more." He could feel Rin's glare, but Yukio just smiled at him. "Then maybe he'd develop the patience of a saint," he said as he began to walk away.
"You think you're so funny? If that happens, I'm coming after your ass," Rin threatened as he caught up.
Yukio sighed. "You realize that Kazuki-chan might learn to curse from you, right?" His brother opened his mouth to retort, but upon looking down at his son, he promptly closed it. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Rin didn't say anymore. At first, he was silently fuming, but at some point, he found himself entertaining Kazuki. When Yukio turned around to begin saying goodbye, Kazuki was snuggling up to Rin's chest.
"You sure you don't want to come over for dinner?" The elder twin asked.
"Thanks, but I can't. I still have to prepare for class tomorrow."
"Alright, but you gotta put aside some time to relax, okay? Work too hard and you'll wear yourself out!"
Yukio arched an eyebrow. "You don't have to practice being a father on me…" His eyes widened a bit in realization. "Oh! I almost forgot: happy belated Father's Day, Rin."
The blue-haired exorcist felt his cheeks heat up and a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest. Immediately, he started to smile. "Thanks! See ya, Yukio!" With a wave goodbye, the brothers walked away from each other. Rin was still smiling as he looked up at the sky. "Happy Father's Day, Dad…"
X-X-X
"Happy Father's Day!"
35-year old Fujimoto Shiro stared in confusion at his fellow priests, who were smiling at him. "Huh? …Oh, that's right. Today is Father's Day, isn't it?" It was one of those holidays that, due to a lack of personal importance, always seemed to slip by without his notice. But apparently, that had changed since December last year, when he became the guardian of Rin and Yukio.
"So, how does it feel, being a father this long?" One of them asked.
The exorcist looked up in thought. "In all honesty? Terrifying." The others stared at him with sheepish smiles. "Not because of Rin, mind you." Oddly enough, he'd long gotten used to the elder child's little tantrums, his habit of almost breaking his crib—and sometimes one of the priests, and even the child's habit of throwing his glasses whenever he got his chubby little hands on them. "Raising your first child, let alone twins, is pretty intimidating. I sometimes worry if I'm going to raise them properly." He didn't want them to simply be human, he wanted them to be good.
"Wow, I'd never have guessed that you had insecurities, Father Fujimoto."
Shiro shot the priest who spoke a look. "What's that supposed to mean? Don't tell me you think that raising children is the same as exorcising demons?" Because it wasn't aseasy.
At that point, loud and familiar bawling echoed through the monastery. Having been exposed to it for this long, he could tell it was Rin. In seconds, Yukio was crying as well, possibly in response to his brother. Shiro headed for the twins' nursery alone, mainly because Rin only calmed down in his presence. He leaned over Rin's crib and watched the blue-haired boy cry with his eyes shut tightly. He took the child out and held him against his chest. The half-demon child started to pound his tiny fists against him, and Shiro took the blows and all their force as he whispered to him.
"Shhhh…! It's okay. I'm right here, Rin." He was also slightly bruised, but nothing too serious. At the sound of the paladin's voice, Rin looked up and stopped crying. He gave a toothless smile and made a happy gurgling sound, which made Shiro wonder if he made that ruckus just because he wanted to be held by his foster father in particular.
As if to further prove his thoughts, once Yukio stopped crying, he proceeded to whine at a lower volume as he watched Shiro holding Rin. With a sigh, the priest approached the brunette baby's crib and picked him up. In a matter of seconds, Yukio began to smile as well.
"Making all that noise just to get my attention, huh? You guys sure are troublesome… Whenever you cry like that, I think you're on the verge of death or something!" He wanted to sound mad, but the way Yukio laid his head against his shoulder and Rin played with the cross hanging from his glasses made him less upset. Fatherhood wasn't too bad.
While Shiro was busy enjoying the affection, Rin reached up and took off his glasses. Without a free hand to stop him, the priest could only watch as the blue-haired baby chucked them at a wall. Both Rin and Yukio giggled and clapped.
"…You really like doing that, don't you?" Shiro asked the eldest twin. Rin's only reaction was to smile. "Oh, well. It's a good thing I've got spares…"
X-X-X
This is the second and last Blue Exorcist story I'm gonna write. This time, I swear! I am totally going ignore the plot bunnies that are being born in my head.
