Honey, Lemon, Ginger, Chamomile Tea
Dadacha has been at their side long enough to know without being told...
It didn't take a genius to know they were in a bad mood. One needed to look only at the scowl on Haruhiko's face and the narrowed eyes on Akihiko's to get, at the very least, an impression that something was troubling them.
They were moody kids in general. One moment they could be excited and playful, laughing loudly and moving in a deliberate theatrical manner, and the next they would be sulking, engaging in destructive hobbies and spewing words that didn't match their handsome faces. That flaw in their character only became more pronounced when they arrived in Binan, where the object of their euphoria and the object of their irritation were both a short walk across a stone pathway.
It didn't take a genius, but it did take someone who knew them well to know that Hakone Yumoto was not the cause of their latest contrariness though. They were far too subdued for that to be the case.
Dadacha's trained eye knew what to look for whenever they acted like that. He knew to pay close attention to how slowly and wordlessly they ate. How Haruhiko suddenly showed a strong preference for hot foods. How Akihiko always seemed to have a glass of water nearby. How occasionally, absently one of the two would reach up and lightly scratch at his neck.
In Dadacha's experience, that behavior was an indicator of one of two things, so he kept a close watch to make sure it was not the latter of the two. But the twins' color was good, their appetite was more or less fine and they showed no signs of physical weariness, so his first guess was most likely correct.
Honestly.
They really could have just told him.
But Dadacha supposed that since he knew them better than anyone, he already knew how stubborn the two of them were when it came to things like this. How they always needed to appear perfect and infallible because that was what an idol was in their opinion.
He had been at their side long enough to know exactly how hardworking they were when it came to their goals and their image, so he supposed it was probably fortunate that they didn't run their throats ragged more often.
At any rate, Dadacha learned long ago how to handle this kind of situation with minimum fuss. He knew how to carefully sneak throat lozenges into their pockets, so by the time they discovered them, social etiquette would prevent them from doing anything more than giving him a prideful look when no one was watching.
They always ate the lozenges though. And he always snuck in more before they could run out.
He also took over tea duty. No Ape was going to serve his twins anything when they were under the weather on his watch! He prepared chamomile tea, with a slice of lemon in each cup. To Haruhiko's cup he also added a teaspoon of honey. Haruhiko was loathe to admit it, but he liked sweeter flavors. Akihiko less so, so to his tea, Dadacha added a small piece of ginger for a sharper taste instead.
There were no Apes hanging around the greenhouse for once, so Dadacha could serve them out in the open. They took the cups without argument, and Dadacha didn't miss the fondness in their eyes as they quietly drank his remedy.
Cheeky little brats, those two. They never told him when their throats hurt, complained if he was too unsubtle in his caretaking, and never uttered a word of gratitude. But those meek appreciative smiles still made him go along with their obstinacy every time.
"Well, how is it?" he asked, finally breaking the silence that had hung over them for most of the day.
"Completely unnecessary," Haruhiko said haughtily, despite having been the first to grab his cup.
"If it's unnecessary, that's good."
"The tea itself is fine at least," Akihiko said calmly, "A bit too much ginger though."
"I'll take note for next time. And? Are you feeling better now?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Haruhiko spoke in his usual flippant tone, but his voice still seemed a little hoarse to Dadacha's ears. Tail twitching in irritation, he jumped onto Haruhiko's shoulder and began prodding his neck with one paw.
"Ow! Watch where you're sticking your claws," Haruhiko hissed. He didn't attempt to shove Dadacha off though, because he knew better than that.
"It still feels a bit swollen," Dadacha observed and soared across the table onto Akihiko's shoulder to check his lymph nodes as well, "Yours too."
"I suspect it will clear up on its own," Akihiko assured him and poured himself and his brother another cup of tea.
"Yes, of course," Dadacha agreed, "Until it does though, I advise postponing VEPPer activities. You might lose your voices if you sing like this."
"Yeah, yeah whatever you say."
"I suppose if we must."
There was no point arguing. They couldn't create monsters without him, and Dadacha could be just as stubborn as them when he wanted to be.
They had been with him long enough to know better than anyone at this point.
AN: Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it :)
I just wanted to write some cute, sweet (somewhat sappy) Dadacha and twins fluff. Because Dadacha is too good to these little brats and I want them to appreciate him as well ;w;
(although I feel I made them a bit too tsundere for any open affection ^^")
I have no idea what sort of plot revelations we'll get at the end of the season, but I really hope that the trusting caring relationship between the squirrel and the twins isn't a lie!