I have no words.
Happy Fourth of July, and if you're not american, happy Monday!
(please note: up until Friday, I did not plan to post this this weekend.)
(-)
Daddy 'Dashi
14
Fourth of July Pt. 2
The fireworks weren't' supposed to start for a handful of hours, after the sun went down and the sky only held one color. They had plenty of time to close up the café, and get things ready for their little get together that night.
Tadashi's friends came early that afternoon to help them set up the table and chairs for everyone. They were going to have almost fifteen people on their balcony, Tadashi was almost sure some fire code was being broken with that number, but hey, he wasn't a fireman.
Cass was running in between the living space's kitchen and the café's, attempting to do too many things at once.
"Aunt Cass." Tadashi stopped her after her seventh trip up the stairs. "What can I help with?" He asked as he leant against the counter.
"We can all help." Honey added in from across the room, Hiro still swaddled in her arms.
"Can someone other than Tadashi icing this cake for me?" Cass asked quietly.
Wasabi gave a little shrug. "I can do that for you."
"Why someone other than Tadashi?" Gogo gave a chuckle, hoping a little funny story would be behind it.
Cass pushed her nephew away from the kitchen. "He's got no self control when it comes to cakes." She pointed him towards the living room, just to keep him away from the cake. "He'll either eat the cake or the icing. One or the other."
"To make up for the fact that I can't decorate a cake." He guiltily smiled.
Gogo snorted. "Aunt Cass, do you need help downstairs?" Everyone could tell the café owner seemed to be a tad more stressed than usual.
Cass looked over at her. "If you don't mind." She gave a smile. "Everyone wants everything, and everything boxed up and what not."
The two women made their way back down the stairs to the café.
"I think your son's hungry." Honey spoke up and started her way over to the college father.
"Or tired." Tadashi reached over. To get his son. Honey passed the baby over to him and gave a smile at the two.
Hiro gave a little cry.
"You're right." Tadashi nodded and weaved his way between furniture to get back into the kitchen.
"I'm watching you." Wasabi greeted the father when he walked in, only glancing over at him for a second, then going back to mixing the frosting together.
Tadashi laughed. "I gotta use the sink, I swear I'm not going to eat anything."
Wasabi shook his head as he heard Tadashi open the fridge and move some things around. "The cake's in there you know."
"Oh yeah, I know."
"Tadashi." Cass's voice suddenly rang out.
"I'm getting Hiro's bottle." He countered, elbow deep in the 'fridge. He couldn't hide the fact that her voice startled him, him flinching and hitting his arm on the side of the 'fridge was proof of that.
"I can see that, I just wanted to scare you." Cass laughed.
Hiro cave a tiny laugh.
And Honey awed from the living room.
Brown eyes gave a small roll as he rearranged some of the top shelf to move some of Hiro's bottles over to where they were more easily reached.
"Always laughing at my expense." The college father grumbled from the depths of the fridge.
"Keep an eye on your father, Hiro." Cass warned as she checked on Wasabi and the icing. "Here's the tips and bag." She sat them down and gave the man's shoulder a squeeze. "Thanks for your help dear." Cass told him.
"It's no problem, Aunt Cass." He replied as he reached for a bag. "Used to help my aunt make cakes all the time. It's relaxing."
"And fattening." Tadashi butted in as he ran the bottle under warm water.
"It would be even more fattening if you actually got the best part on the cake." His aunt gave him a look.
"Can't hear you, feeding my baby." He motioned to the bottle and Hiro before walking back out of the kitchen.
Cass rolled her eyes in an affectionate manner. "I have to live with that."
Wasabi chuckled.
(-)
"There you are!" Too, too familiar voices rang through the air. Tadashi gave an inaudible sigh.
Honey instantly laughed, recognizing the voices as well.
Tadashi stood up, being the gentleman that he is, and greeted the three people that walked upstairs. "Hello, Mrs. Matsuda, Mrs. Capaldi."
"Gogo said you and you're cute tushie were up here." Mrs. Matsuda laughed as she was lead into the living room, Mrs. Capaldi in tow.
Tadashi felt his face redden.
"That's manly." Fred commented. Tadashi shot him a glare from across the room.
"Oh, hi Honey!" Mrs. Capaldi took a seat on the couch next to the blonde. "How are you dear?" The two started a quiet conversation.
"Mr. C, can I get you something to drink?" Tadashi asked once the elder male came up.
"Nah, I don't need anything, kid." The old man smiled. "Thanks for inviting us over tonight." He patted Tadashi's arm as he passed. "Do you kids need any help with anything?"
"You just sit your butt down, mister." Cass hollered from the bottom of the stairs.
The elder man laughed and shook his head as he walked into the living room.
"Speaking of kids, Tadashi where is that precious little baby of yours?" Mrs. Matsuda asked from the other side of Honey.
Tadashi leaned against the door frame. "He's taking a nap."
"He's such a cutie patootie." Mrs. Capaldi commented.
The conversations went on like that for a while before Tadashi went and helped his aunt bring up some of the food she had made down in the cafe kitchen.
"Here." She handed her nephew a bowl of pasta salad. "And here." She placed a pan of cooled chicken in his free arm. "Put those on the warmer." She grabbed a few plate of other sides and shooed him up stairs.
"I hope you guys are hungry!" Aunt Cass said as the two reached the top of the stairs. "Everybody outisde."
Mr. Capaldi reached out for Cass. "Here, let me take those." He didnt take no for an answer adn grabbed one of the macaroni dishes from Cass's hands.
"You're too helpful." She scolded.
Tadashi stepped outside and placed the dishes where his aunt had told him too, then slipped back inside to grab the baby monitor off the kitchen counter and clip it onto his pocket.
"It should be starting at about nine." He heard Cass say.
"That's my bed time." Mrs. Matsuda laughed.
Tadashi nodded. "Mine too." He added as he grabbed a drink out of the cooler Wasabi had let them borrow before heading to a free chair at the table they had set up earlier.
Mr. Capaldi chuckled. "You're getting old kid."
"He goes to bed earleir than me." His aunt msiled.
"I get up earleir than the sun." Tadashi mumbled before he took a sip of his soda. The baby monitor started making noises then. "And there's the reason." He stood up and makde his way back into the house to get Hiro.
"Hey there little sleepy monster." He booped his son's nose when he leant over the crib. "You've got some people downstairs who want to see you."
Little Hiro let out a little bubble of a laugh as his father picked him up.
"Now, behave yourself, don't cause trouble, and stay in school." Tadashi joked and wagged a finger towards Hiro, who latched onto it. "I'll take that as an 'okay'."
Hiro spent the better part of an hour and a half being passed between practically everyone, completely loving and absorbing all the attention as if this whole holiday was meant for him. He laughed at just about anything, because apparently, everything is funny in his little baby mind.
Tadashi just hoped that attitude stuck when the fireworks started.
The show, while itself was spectacular, with Hiro, it started off rocky. The first few cracks of flashy lights, startled the baby - not enough to make him cry, but enough to have him let out a few whimpers of discontentment; Tadashi even started making his way toward the door.
But then the city started firing off the fireworks in a constant stream of sounds and bright lights, and Hiro was suddenly the happiest baby. His little brown eyes, wide as the moon, tried to follow along with all the smoke trails and exploding rockets.
"I think he likes them." Mr. Capaldi came up next to the two Hamadas.
Tadashi nodded and kissed the top of Hiro's head as they all watched the fireworks.
I am so sorry that it took me so blasted long. I got busy and overwhelmed with life for a while, then when things calmed down, I couldn't find my motivation. And I'm also sorry I rushed this chapter. I had about half of it written before I stopped, and when I started typing it up again I forgot where this chapter was headed.