I am alive! Sorry about that folks. Been gushing over a different fandom for some time so I wasn't too inspired in working on Daa!Daa!Daa!
Oh, and a happy Eid-al-Adha to our Muslim friends. Not sure if I applied the word 'happy' properly since I'm not that familiar with the holiday. But thanks to you and our president, I had the time to write this.
Standard disclaimer applies to this chapter. Again, too lazy to backtrack and review so apologies for the errors.
And of course, thank you so much to my loyal and faithful readers. I love you all! Without you, I wouldn't have the strength and inspiration to continue writing.
And without further ado, everyone's much awaited chapter (which I hope I didn't disappoint…)
Chapter 26: Me and my Papa
"We're home!" Miyu announces as they enter the Saionji mansion. The mother-son pair had just come back from their morning trip to the playground.
"Welcome back," the elder Kouzuki greeted as soon as he sees the two. He then noticed that his great grandson sulking in his stroller. "What's wrong, Ruu-kun?" he asked the upset child. "Didn't you like the play school?"
The child just pouted even more, making Miyu sigh. "Ruu-kun got into a fight with a kid on the first day," she said, retrieving the pouting baby from the stroller.
"Oh?" the elder Kouzuki asked, a bit startled that the infant would get involved in a fight. He brought his face closer to the pouting baby.
"Did you beat him up real good?" he asked as he eyed the blonde baby seriously.
"You shouldn't encourage him!" Miyu scolded the old man.
"Daa!" Ruu said proudly.
"Ruu-kun!"
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His day started off normally.
He woke up to the smiling face of his beautiful mama.
He ate a delicious meal together with his beautiful mama. Although the brunet he lives with decided to be annoying and ruffle his hair so early before he left the house.
He liked the outfit he was wearing, chosen by his beautiful mama.
He played a little with the goofy blonde that loves to make weird faces.
He liked the morning view on the way to his favorite park.
Yes, Ruu thought that his day was indeed turning out to be like a normal, happy day for him.
But what was supposed to be the happiest time of his day, turned out to be the most annoying part.
"Welcome to the play school, Ruu-kun!" a kind, young woman said to him as they entered the room.
He was a bit surprised at just how many kids like him were inside the room.
"I'll be right here, Ruu-kun," Miyu said as she motioned for the parents' waiting lounge. She sat him on the mat and scooted beside him for him to see better. "Now be a good boy and be nice to your new friends, okay?" she said as she gave him her beautiful smile.
"Daa!" he couldn't help answering back excitedly, seeing his mama so happy and excited.
The day went relatively smoothly. He learned how to share and how to cross the ball pit on his own. He even made a few friends that were willing to help him the first time he crossed it.
But he noticed something… odd when it was time to go home. Instead of having their mamas pick them up, some kids had young men picking them up instead.
These men, or 'papa' as the other kids affectionately called them, are somewhat similar to mamas. They give the other kids hugs – albeit shorter and less snug that what his mama usually gives them. And instead of carrying the other kids by their waists, they get to be placed all the way up on their shoulders.
Ruu frowned at this. He wanted to know how the view is like from up there.
Another man entered the room and was recognized by the young boy beside him.
"Papa!" the kid yelled, as he ran towards the man. "Up! Up!" he commanded, motioning for his father to carry him high on his shoulders.
Trying the word out, Ruu decided to call the same man the same term he's heard the other kids call them. "Papa!" he shouted, earning a startling look from both the man and the kid.
He didn't notice the kid marching towards him and putting his foot down dramatically. "He's not your papa! He's MY papa!" he announced, staking claim on his father.
Seeing the trouble that's about to brew, the man also approached the two kids, crouching down beside them. "Sorry little man, but I'm not your papa," he said, as he ruffled the blonde baby's head.
Still wanting to find out how the view on top of a papa's shoulders was like, Ruu tried again, ignoring the two's previous protests. "Papa! Up! Up!" he commanded, raising his hand in preparation of being carried. But before he knew it, he was pushed roughly on to his back.
"He's not your papa!" the kid yelled again as he placed himself beside Ruu and the man.
"Yuichi!" the man said, as he gently pushed his son aside. "You shouldn't have pushed him like that. He's just a baby!" he said, as he tried to help Ruu up.
But before he can get to him, Ruu had already pulled the kid, Yuichi, down to the ground with him, with a loud "Daa!" battle cry.
Thus came the all-out war between the two kids.
"Ruu-kun!" a familiar voice yelled, as he was pushed off of the other kid.
"What has gotten into you, Ruu-kun?!" Miyu ashed, trying his best to calm the angry baby down. Seeing that the child is still upset, Miyu decided to quell at least one of the parties involved.
"I apologize for the commotion. He shouldn't've pulled him down like that," Miyu said, bowing as best as she can towards the father and the son.
"Ah, we should be the one to apologize," the man said, placing a calm yet stern hand on top of Yuichi's head. "He shouldn't've pushed him in the first place. Come on, Yuichi, apologize," he said, tilting the child's head slightly.
"I'm sorry," the kid said, the pout still present on his face.
"We're sorry too. Right, Ruu-kun?" Miyu said, as she shifted the child in her arms slightly. She earned nothing but a 'hmph' from the kid though.
The man chuckled. "Looks like we still have to earn his apology then," he joked lightly, trying to ease the tension between them. "We'll try again tomorrow… umm…"
"Kouzuki Miyu" Miyu introduced, as she shook the offered hand of the man.
"Toya Yuichiro," the man introduced as well. "I take it you're the kid's older sister?" he asked, seeing that the young woman was too young to be the mom.
"Oh no…" she explained sheepishly. "I'm his…"
"Mama!" Ruu said impatiently, wanting to go home and be anywhere near the two other people with them.
Seeing the shock on Yuichiro's face, Miyu couldn't help but laugh sheepishly. "Adoptived," she explains.
"Oh," he finally said, having shaken the shock off. "Well, seeing as the kids are too upset today, I hope we can try again tomorrow, Miyu-chan," he said endearingly, as he ushered Yuichiro away.
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"And that's what happened," Miyu said as she peeled the last bit of potatoes for dinner.
"Seems to me that the kid wants a papa," Seiya said thoughtfully as he glanced at the still upset baby in his high chair. "Maybe now's the time for you to try dating, Miyu," he explained, winking suggestively at the blonde maid.
The peeler slipped from the potato. "SEIYA!" Miyu yelled as her face turned an interesting shade of red.
"Just saying," Seiya said, holding his hands up in surrender. "It would do the kid some good to see his mama with a papa – a papa whom she likes too."
Miyu sighed. "His papa doesn't have to be romantically involved with me," she said as-a-matter-of-factly. "He just has to be a good father-figure to Ruu," she explained.
"Such a selfless mother, Miyu is," Seiya said - a candidate already clear on his mind.
"Well," the blonde butler said, as he pushed himself off the stool and walked to ruffle the baby's head. "Guess we'll just have to see whom he chooses for his papa then."
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The next day started off well. After a few coaxing from their parents, Ruu and Yuichi managed to bury their previous grievances and became good friends.
Ruu even managed to convince him to help him in his little project of looking for his own papa.
"How about that one?" Yuichi said, as he pointed at another passer-by outside the play school window.
Here they are, sitting side-by-side, staring at bystanders as the come and go.
"No," Ruu said dejectedly. Somehow, he couldn't imagine being carried on the shoulders of that man.
"Gyaaaaargh… We're doing this wrong!" Yuichi said exasperatedly, plopping himself on his back. "You can't just have anyone be your papa. Papas are special!"
"Daa?" Ruu asked, unsure with how papas should be classified.
Yuichi sat himself up abruptly. "Listen Ruu, your papa has to one: live with you. Two: He has to give you baths, plays with you, and feeds you. Three: He has to hug you. And… um… the number that comes after three, he has to look good with your mama." The elder kid explained proudly and confidently.
"Daa! Daa!" Ruu added, motioning to his shoulders.
Yuichi blinked at first, but eventually got what the kid was saying. "And he has to be strong and carry you on his shoulders!"
"Daa!" Ruu said in consensus.
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Seeing as none of the men in his play school pass even just the first category, Ruu decided to postpone his searching until he got home.
1. He has to live with you.
The first one to greet him was his grandpa. Well, his mama's grandpa. So his grandpa grandpa.
Sure he hugs him, gives him baths, plays with him, and feeds him, but he doesn't exactly look good beside his mama so… no.
And since he's already his grandpa, he can't be his papa. That would be… weird.
Candidate 1: Grandpa – Fail
Next he sees the goofy blonde his mama always plays with. They sure do play rough since he ends up sporting a funny looking hat every time they're done.
He lives with us, so he passed the first test. But hasn't given him any baths nor has he fed him.
And seeing him side-by-side with his mama, he finds their hair too bright and.. blonde so he doesn't look too good with mama.
Candidate 2: Goofy Blonde - Fail
As he was playing with the suds in his bathtub, Ruu suddenly remembered this other young man that used to be around his mama. He had grey hair and was a bit older than mama.
He was able to give him a few baths when mama was too busy with school. And he played and fed him a few times too.
Thinking hard for when he was ever hugged by the man, he remembered being carried a few times by him – so that's a little bit like a hug.
"Daa!" Ruu said excitedly. Finally, he has a papa!
"I'm home," a voice softly echoed in the room.
"He has to live with you," Yuichi's voice echoed in his head. And he hadn't seen that young man for a few weeks already.
Ruu sighed.
Candidate 3: Grey Man – Fail
Seeing that that's almost all of the men that he knows, Ruu was starting to feel a bit depressed. He was never going to find a papa at this rate!
So he sat himself quietly, rolling his toy truck across his high chair table a bit slowly while his mama cooked.
"What's for dinner?" his brown-haired former enemy, now friend, came in the kitchen, curious from all aroma the dishes were emitting.
"I hope you like Italian, young master," Miyu said, as she looked from over her shoulder as she stirred the pot.
The brunet sat himself beside the blonde baby as he continued eyeing the ingredients around the kitchen. Once his eyes landed on the blonde baby though, he immediately noticed that something was off.
"What's eating you?" he said, scooting closer to the baby. As soon as the baby saw him though, Ruu immediately stiffened.
1. He has to live with you
He always sees the brown-haired young man every morning and every afternoon.
2. He has to give you baths, plays with you, and feeds you
He had given him a bath once. That was when they became friends.
Ruffling with his hair and giving him treats from time to time counts as playing and feeding, right?
3. He has to hug you
And hugging, he carries him from time to time so that counts too!
Remembering the other requirement, he turned to look from the brown-haired man to his mama for a few times.
They look good together.
So that solves the… number that comes after three.
All that's left is.
"Daa!" Ruu said, raising his arms high up as a plea to be carried.
Kanata couldn't help but look at him questioningly – not really understanding the reactions of the baby. But seeing the determined yet pleading look on the blonde's face, Kanata decided to humor him.
"Alright, let's go," he said, lifting the baby off of his seat.
He was about to place him side-straddling his waist – just how he usually brings him around the house. As soon as he was about to shift him though, Ruu started tugging on his shoulders and refusing to shift any more to the side.
Seeing where the kid was motioning to, Kanata sighed and adjusted his hold.
"Okay, but you have to hold on tight," he warned as he lifted the baby up in the air then seating him right on his shoulders.
Ruu was a bit woozy from the height, but after some getting used to, he found that he loved the view from up there. He felt so tall and less… vulnerable.
He has to be strong and carry you on his shoulders.
Ruu's grip on Kanata's head tightened.
He had finally found him.
"Ouch," Kanata winced a bit at the sudden hold of the child.
"Oh, Ruu-kun, please be careful with Master Kanata's head," Miyu giggled as he approached the two boys. She always enjoyed seeing the two together.
"P-p…" the two teens heard the baby murmur from the brunet's head.
"What was that, Ruu-kun?" Miyu asked as she leaned closer to the baby.
"Papa!" Ruu yelled proudly as he hugged the brunet's head tighter.
.
..
…
"P-PAPA!?"
Candidate 4: Brown-haired Friend - Passed!
- Chapter 26 End -
A/N: Sorry for stopping there. I wanted to focus on Ruu's POV in most of this chapter so writing everyone's reactions would just veer away from that.
Main challenge for this chapter is shifting POVs. I didn't want to blatantly say 'Ruu's POV' or something since personally, I feel that it ruins the continuity of the story. So I hope I didn't confuse anyone with this chapter.
And a little teshichan tidbit, some of my fondest childhood memories with my dad is when he used to let me sit on his shoulders. It still makes me smile even up to this day. Of course, he's too old to do that now. Hahaha!
Next chapter will be about all the trouble Ruu's nickname for Kanata will be causing. Pray that inspiration hits me sometime within the month… or sooner. October is a bit busy for me.
Love it? Hate it? Getting tired of it?
Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks for reading!
