AN: Not a lot of action in this chapter but I think I managed to expand on a few plot points. I really hope you enjoy 😊

Chapter Twenty-Nine – Bond Between Father and Son

Kyoko was very excited to be returning home with a folder containing Kou's pictures of animals to show Kuon. She knew that Kuon was struggling, especially with the knowledge that he would sometimes become someone else but not have any idea what actions that other persona had done. Hopefully seeing all of Kou's creativity and talent would help him keep more stable or at least fight harder against the more violent characters.

Sometimes she was scared that he would hurt her, but he hadn't and she felt very guilty about that.

Even of all the stories that Kuon had told her about his past self, his more violent side, he had never attacked someone unprovoked and somehow that hadn't scared her. What scared her was that sometimes she would feel as if she was with her husband but her husband wouldn't be there. She didn't know if there would ever be a cure for that but she hoped one day he would be well enough so that he could obtain his goal and see their son.

Opening the door, she caught Kuon sleeping on the sofa with a blanket covering him. She smiled weakly and then looked around to see Kuu eating something he had made. She smiled to him as she walked over. "Thanks for looking after him," she told Kuu. "I probably should do more grocery shopping. I was hoping that he'd be eating more," she said sadly.

She had to try and forget her own pain and trauma to help her husband. She had to ignore her own fear because he had been through so much worse. His mind had been snapped and couldn't quite fit together again without any loose fragments creating these characters.

"He's never eaten a lot, as long as he's surviving I wouldn't let that be one of your main worries," Kuu told her. He looked at her and smiled weakly, "So, am I allowed to ask how it went for you? I know that Kou has been missing the two of you so much. If Kuon wasn't fighting with these characters of his I would suggest that he make a visit."

Kyoko exhaled deeply, the exhaustion reflecting in her voice. "I know, father," she nodded. "That would be one thing that Kuon really wants, but if he were to snap and frighten Kou then it would be bad for both of them. I just want him to be able to hold onto Kuon for a little longer."

"Do any of the characters cause you pain?" Kuu asked and Kyoko looked away.

"When he turns into BJ it scares me the most, but I've learned how to calm him down when he reaches that point. Some of the time I can change him directly back into Kuon and other times it takes me to turn him back to Cain." Kyoko sighed thoughtfully and let her chin rest on her palm. "The thing that works most to my advantage is when he becomes any character Katsuki or later, I've been there before and I can become a character that fits with it. He seems to see what he wants to see so as long as I'm acting like Mitsuki or Setsu, he calms down enough to become Kuon after too long."

Kyoko closed her eyes, "but the problem is that Kou is too young to understand that Daddy has all these people in his mind that he can't control and as much as he wants to be Daddy, he's not. Then there's the depression to consider. Kuon could get surgery and we've consulted with the doctor and after a year or two, the burn could even be reduced to the point where it could be covered with makeup, but his eye is still going to have a scar on it. Doctors have suggested laser eye surgery, but they are scared to touch a mark like that."

"Still, that could be covered with makeup as well," Kuu suggested and Kyoko nodded.

"True, but once again, as much as Kuon loves to act he doesn't have the stability to act. I'd really like for the two of us, really the three of us, to go away somewhere safe. Somewhere less noisy and less triggering. Ideally it would be the three of us, but maybe Kou could join us later when Kuon is at least a little stronger."

Kuu nodded in agreement, "and are you planning on having any future children?" he asked as Kyoko bowed her head. She felt the tears that she had been trying so badly to hold back slip down her cheeks and immediately, Kuu pulled her in for a hug.

"Father, I don't know if that's possible after what happened to me and with Kuon like this, I can't tell him that. I can't tell him that I was unfaithful to him. I can't cause him any more pain so please don't tell him that they took advantage of me like that," Kyoko begged as she felt the pain inside of her both physically and emotionally. "I mean, the doctors have told me that there is a chance, but it's not very likely."

"I promise not to tell him," Kuu said as he rubbed her back and let his hand hold the back of her head to his chest. "I do have to ask something of you though and it does involve Kuon," Kuu said as he looked away nervously. Kyoko stared at him but nodded.

"Sure, anything that will help him," she said as she quickly tried to brush the tears aside.

"Could you ask boss about the therapist that he's seeing?" Kuu asked concerned as Kyoko blinked. She had her own dislike of Kuon's therapist just because the woman seemed to act like she wanted Kuon to forget about Kyoko and fall in love with her. It wasn't the first person for this to happen with by a long shot and Kuon wasn't falling for it. Kyoko didn't have to like it though and she always worried about Kuon leaving her.

"You don't like her either?" Kyoko asked softly.

Kuu sighed, "I heard from Boss that he was giving Kuon a male therapist. I was thinking that physically it would have made sense and especially since a male therapist would be able to defend himself from more violent episodes. I might sound paranoid and it might be that it has slipped his mind to tell us, but could you ask the president anyway?" he asked as Kyoko nodded.

"Yes, I can do that." She looked away, "With how Kuon obsessed this therapist is, I'd rather have someone who treats him like a regular person than is attracted to him anyway," she admitted before hearing a sound from the sofa. She hated that her first was to ask who it was waking up rather than just admit to herself that it was Kuon who was now awake.

"Hi, honey" Kyoko called out as she stood and made sure that the tears she had just shown weren't obvious to Kuon, she didn't want him to feel guilty about her being upset. She walked over to him, "How are you feeling?"

"I for-gggot to ppput my ma-sk back on," Kuon said nervously as he touched his face. Kyoko knelt before him and handed him the mask that he felt more comfortable wearing than not wearing.

"It's just your father and I who are here," Kyoko said. "Nobody is going to hurt you and it's alright with us that your face isn't covered. Remember how the doctor said that sometimes uncovered is good because its exposed to the air," she knelt in front of him before kissing him lovingly.

"Ho-How's Kou?" Kuon asked wanting to see his son but knowing that it was most likely for the best that he didn't. He wouldn't be able to live with the idea that he was hurting him.

"Kou is doing well, he misses you a lot because of how much he loves you," Kyoko told him before handing Kuon the folder of Kou's drawings. "He did all of these for you, he wanted to show you all of his art skills and he misses when you drew animals together."

Kuon shakily took the folder and looked through it, he smiled as he recognized the unique ways in which Kou drew each animal. He loved the creativity that his son had in how he pictured the world around him. It reminded him a lot of Kyoko and her own brand of magic and creativity. "They're wonderful," he said with a happy smile to Kyoko.

He let his finger run over the shape of an elephant and sighed. "Can you tell him thank you? I really wish that I could see him and tell him myself but you know that that's next to impossible," he said awkwardly and Kyoko sighed. She let her fingers stroke Kuon's cheek and kissed him again.

"Believe me, my sweet Corn," she said, "one day the two of you will be back together. You are both fighting so hard to be my strong, brave boys. I know that Kou will be excited when you've gathered the strength to see him. Maybe we should think about moving away, I think that once we're out of the city we both might heal some more. We both might able to see the world around us with less harsh colors," she tried to help Kuon keep his happiness.

"How about a video call?" Kuu asked. "It wouldn't have to last very long and it could give the two of you a chance to see one another."

Kyoko thought about that. She could imagine Kuon changing characters and scaring Kou even on a video chat, but she could also picture how happy the two of them would be to see one another, Kou especially. She looked back at her husband, her eyes showing all the concern that she had had build up inside of her when it came to him.

"Do you think you're ready for something like that?" she had to ask.

Kuon bowed his head and closed his eye, he nodded. "I'd really like that," he said as Kuu made a call to Julie so that they could set up their video chat.

….

….

Julie had her arms wrapped around Kou as the sat on a chair in the living room waiting for the video call to connect. She hadn't told Kou that he would be able to see his daddy on the other side because she hadn't wanted to get his hopes up if Kuon decided he wasn't ready.

When the picture came through and Julie could see Kyoko with an arm around Kuon's waist and Kuon looking into the camera, she heard the little boy squeal loudly. "It's Daddy!" he pointed. Kou waved excitedly. "Hi Daddy! Hi Mama!" he giggled loudly and Kyoko smiled to the little boy but she was happier hearing Kuon's laugh.

"Hey my little boy," Kuon smiled and Kyoko could even feel his happiness throughout his body. "How are you? Daddy loves your pictures," he said as Kou smiled widely.

"Yay! Daddy saw anitamals?" he asked and Kuon nodded.

"Daddy thinks he recognized all of your animals, you're so creative Kou. You're such a good artist," he smiled as he looked down at the file. Kyoko looked at him. What was most surprising was the fact that even after all that he had gone through and the fact that he was nervous when talking with her, Kuon wasn't stuttering or having trouble with his words. It just showed how happy his son made him and how much he loved him.

Hopefully that meant that that love would take over the darkness, she just wished that he had more strength when he spoke with her.

"Tank oo" Kou laughed and Kuon laughed too.

"Daddy is going to try really hard so that we can be together," he said. "I love you so much Kou, thank you for being such a good boy," he said as Kou grinned before launching into a story about what he, Kyoko, and Julie had done that day.

As Kyoko looked at her husband more than her son she finally had the feeling that even after all that they had been through, their family would be okay.