The Baker's Daughter

by LeftNotRight

Even when one perfects the art of baking, the results can be surprising. A single moment can render everything inedible. In this analogy, I am the one who fudged up. I am bad at analogies. SI/OC (This story is M for a reason!)

57. Chapter 50

Chapter 50. 500,000+ words. Jesus Christ. We're here. 5 years later.
And still so many more Arcs to deal with!
We're not done yet, similar to Daiki themselves, this fic just Doesn't Die.

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Word Count: 14,885

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|Y.T|

Takeshi looked up from his computer as he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Daiki was fast asleep next to him and he had been mindlessly playing online UNO for the past hour, just enjoying her warmth as she had remained curled up against his side. He hadn't received so much as a text from anyone, so he wondered why what sounded like three sets of feet were currently bounding down his hall.

"Oi, you damned horny bastards!" Hayato yelled as he all but kicked in the door.

"Hayato, please," Tsuna wheezed.

"Guys," Takeshi yelped, putting aside his computer. "Daiki's sleeping, be quiet."

"Mm..."

Takeshi turned quickly and ran his fingers through the girl's hair, making a soft noise down at her until the furrow in her brow smoothed out and she relaxed again. He smiled and tugged the blankets higher on her shoulders, planting a soft kiss on her cheek, before slipping out of bed and pushing his friends out of his bedroom.

"What's up?" He asked after closing the door.

"What the fuck is going on with the fucking giant? Uni-san and that Byakuran were fucking crawling all over them and they know shit!"

"Hey, hey, calm down," Takeshi laughed, patting the Storm on his shoulder. "I know that Daiki's a bit weird, but you don't need to worry, she's not an enemy!"

"Oh? Please do tell," Reborn hummed, hands folded behind his back

Takeshi paused and stared down at the baby...well the Arcobaleno. He knew Daiki didn't like the little man and had told him that Arcobaleno knowing about her traits would put her in danger.

"Ah, sorry, you're going to have to wait for Daiki to tell you about that. I've only got some of the story and I'm still trying to get my head around it," he explained, rubbing his nape.

"So you don't get it, but you still trust her? What the fuck?" Hayato scoffed.

"You'd trust me, wouldn't you?" Tsuna asked, and the Storm choked on his tongue. "Daiki has been with us for years and she's backed us all the way."

"Yeah, if Daiki was going to backstab us, it would have already happened!" Takeshi agreed boisterously. "But she wouldn't. She loves me too much to be that mean."

"So much faith," Reborn commented idly, "It would be commendable if it weren't so ill-advised. Yamaguchi-chan is refusing to show their hand in this, she could be putting the Family at risk."

"Daiki is careful about when she steps in," Takeshi said shortly.

Tsuna straightened up quickly. He glanced between his Rain and tutor Sun; he needed to intervene soon.

"Do you know when Daiki will be ready to have a talk?" Tsuna asked, diverting the conversation. "You went to see Shamal-sensei, right?"

"Yeah, Daiki needs bed rest for a week and two weeks of monitoring. She'll be staying with me!"

"Bet you're real happy about that, huh?" Hayato snickered, and Takeshi nodded eagerly.

"She's just resting for a bit, so-"

"Takeshi?" came a sleepy voice, and Takeshi turned as his bedroom door creaked open to show Daiki blinking blearily into the hallway. "Why'd you leave? Bed's cold."

"It is? Oh, I'm sorry," Takeshi apologised quickly, rubbing her arms before stepping into a hug, the girl pressing her nose into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, love. I had to talk to the guys. Go back to bed, I'll be there in a minute."

"No," Daiki grumbled, bordering on a whine. "Lonely."

"Oh, Daiki," the Rain laughed, patting her back gently.

Takeshi loved it when Daiki was like this, always at her most clingy when sleepy. It was rare he caught her like this, and even rarer still was anyone else catching her like this. If Takeshi had been in a bad mood before, it had gone straight out the window the moment he got to show off to his friends how Daiki tugged at his shirt to try and pull him back to bed with her.

"In a moment," he assured again, kissing her cheek as she leant against him, eyes stubbornly closed.

"No."

"Can't sleep without me?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, okay," he sighed, before glancing over his shoulder at the others. "Come in, I'll fill you in on Daiki while she naps."

Takeshi couldn't help the smile on his face as Daiki walked him back into their room, holding his hand hostage all the way to the bed where she pulled him in and dropped her head on his chest. She threw her leg over him and cuddled in tight, anchoring him down with the soft utterance of 'mine'. He chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her before running his knuckles along her arm, tracing her skin until her breath evened out again.

"Do you really think she'd betray us, Hayato?" Takeshi asked smugly, watching his friends stare at the girl curled around him cosily.

"W-well, when she's acting like this anyone would-" he started, before deflating as Tsuna gave him a look out of the corner of his eye. "Fine, maybe Daiki's not out to get us, but she's still withholding info."

Takeshi glanced down at his wife with a thin smile. He couldn't deny what Hayato said, it was true. Daiki was hiding things from them, and even from him. But she was getting better at opening up, and Takeshi still didn't hesitate to lay his life and heart in her hands.

"Love you," he murmured to her, kissing the top of her head as she slept peacefully.

Hayato audibly rolled his eyes, making Takeshi let out a short laugh. His hand was still lightly tracing Daiki's arm as he brought himself back to focus, Tsuna watching his friends fondly. They had all sat around his desk, Tsuna on the chair and Hayato leaning against the desk. Reborn had stationed himself on Tsuna's shoulder and was watching everything silently.

"Daiki's not going to school for a while, Shamal-sensei said bed rest for a week. But she's mostly healed up, we're just making sure nothing happens in the meantime." Takeshi gestured to the bag sitting on the tall boy on the far wall. "He gave us some creams and supplies too. I need to help her put them on after every bath."

"When will she be back? Ryohei will be bored at school without her."

"Maybe a break will be good, they're insufferable when they're together," Hayato huffed.

Takeshi laughed a bit before immediately dropping his voice into a coo when Daiki shifted on his chest, getting comfortable again. He hummed and wrapped his arms around her again when she found her new favourite spot, one of Daiki's hands pressed against his side underneath his shirt.

The Rain smiled; she had wanted skin contact. He shouldn't have worn a shirt to bed, then his Daiki would have been easily pleased.

"Sorry, Daiki, that was thoughtless of me."

"Oh God, you're insufferable now," Hayato groaned.

Takeshi grinned at the Storm and cuddled his wife just to piss him off a little more before looking to Tsuna who looked a cross between embarrassed on watching a personal moment and humoured by his Guardians.

"So, you can't tell us anything until Daiki wants it?" Tsuna clarified and got an almost apologetic nod from his Rain. "..Will you let me wake her up?"

Takeshi just smiled and stared at Tsuna. The Sky let out a defeated sigh and nodded in acceptance. There would be no waking Daiki until she had enough sleep. Takeshi hummed and rubbed her shoulder, making sure she was still comfortable.

"And what about you, Takeshi?" Tsuna continued to ask, "What did Shamal-sensei say about your jaw?"

"It's healing up. I need to stay away from tough to chew foods for a while and not press on it too much, but I'm doing fine."

"That's good," he smiled before getting to his feet and stretching. "Then we'll let you guys rest now. Give us a call when Daiki's in the mood to deal with us?"

"Haha, of course!" Takeshi agreed.

"Tsuna-" Reborn began, but the Sky glanced over his shoulder.

"Not this time, Reborn. See you tomorrow, Takeshi."

The baby looked like he didn't know whether to be miffed or proud of Tsuna at this point. Instead, he just chose to tip his hat down and follow the Sky out of the room.

Takeshi gave Daiki a quick kiss before slipping out and saw his friends off. By the time he got back to his room he found Daiki sat up in their bed and looking around blearily again, a frown on her lips and a pillow hugged to her chest.

"Abandoner," she pouted as he came through the door.

"Sorry," Takeshi chuckled, closing the door and kicking off his slippers. "They're gone now though, so I won't need to get up again."

"I'm awake now," Daiki huffed.

Takeshi paused to get comfortable in bed again and said, "It's not ten though. Let's go back to sleep."

Daiki grumbled and turned over in bed, cuddling the pillow in her arms. She cooed and got comfy, before drifting off, choosing to ignore how Takeshi was staring at her back dejectedly.

"No, wife, don't hate me," he pleaded, shuffling closer to her and peering over her shoulder. "I'm here now! I promise I won't leave again. Sweetie!"

Takeshi perked up when Daiki glanced at him, the term 'sweetie' catching her attention. But it wasn't enough, it seemed, and she buried her face back into her pillow. Nonetheless, Takeshi had found his ticket and grinned and he leant over his Daiki, the girl stubbornly facing away from him.

"Darling! Love! Sweetheart, you won't ignore me, will you? Your loving husband? How could you hate me when I love you so much? My sweet girl...My shujin-chan!"

Daiki jolted and snapped her head around, cheeks flushed pink and an eager shine in her eyes. Takeshi smiled and dropped a kiss on the bridge of her nose.

"Shujin-chan!" he repeated happily, feeling rather proud of himself.

He knew that Daiki had always had a soft spot for being called husband, for being called 'my own husband' all these years. She must have missed that name from the way she eagerly turned to the call. What better way to tweak it for her than fixing the masculine suffix afterwards to feminine?

"Shujin-kun," she echoed fondly, affection seeping into her tone.

Daiki let go of her pillow and wrapped her arms around Takeshi, who grinned in victory, not-so-accidentally nudging the cushion off the side of the bed as he cozied himself up to her chest.

"My love," Daiki hummed, squeezing him tight before she paused and unravelled her hold quickly. "Oh, your jaw. We shouldn't lay like this."

"Aw, but I want to put my head on your chest," he frowned.

"Sorry, Takeshi, but no pressing on your jaw," she soothed, and pushed him back onto the bed with a hand to his chest. "Just lay down with me. You wanted to sleep again, so let's sleep."

Takeshi opened his arms and accepted Daiki as she came and laid her head on his shoulder, leg thrown over his lap and arm wrapped around his stomach stubbornly. It was a clear warning of 'no more moving' and made him snicker as she nuzzled her nose into his throat.

"I miss being able to hear your heart," Takeshi admitted, "I want my jaw to heal already."

He pouted when all Daiki did was smile at him; her cheek squished against his chest. She let out a breath and cuddled in close, eyes falling shut.

"Well, there's one thing we could try."

"Hm?" he hummed, then shivered when he felt the now familiar sensation of Sun brushing up against Rain. "Daiki-"

"Shh, just listen."

Takeshi paused and laid his head back on the bed, letting out a long breath as he focused on the soft presence of Sun. A soft thumping began to echo, a pulsing, deep and strong. Daiki's heart.

"Anything to make my shujin-kun happy," Daiki murmured, and Takeshi smiled until he fell back into sleep, listening to his Daiki's heartbeat.

|Y.T|

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It was bucketing down rain outside, covering the backyard of the Yamamoto house with puddles and sheets of haze. The perfect weather, Takeshi had decided, to grab our son and play in the rain. The low roar of the rooftops barely muffled their hoots of laughter and giggled shrieks, and Lambo waved his arms around as his father tossed him high into the air.

I smiled as I watched the Rain and Lightning play from the verandah, sitting on a cushion and wrapped in a blanket, Mephisto snoozing in my lap. I wanted to join them, to throw Takeshi over my shoulder and swing Lambo around, but Takeshi had been adamant that I don't get my bandages nor the lingering stitches wet. So with a great pout, I stayed put and watched them, their joy ebbing away at my indignation.

I really should have got used to this by now, well into our second day of bed rest, and Takeshi had really nailed home the term of 'bed rest'. Save for going to the bathroom, I had barely been released from our room, and only allowed to move from laying down when I wanted to stretch. Even then, he'd hover nearby and give me a quick scolding when he thought I stretched too far.

It was endearing - so far. We'd need to see how I felt seven days into it, or hell, a fortnight into it. I might have to strap him to a bed and see how he feels, give him a taste of his own medicine...Actually, he might like that, knowing him. Damn it, why was Takeshi so hard to punish?

Lambo's scream of joy broke me out of my vengeance plans and I refocused upon the sight of Lambo lying face-up in a puddle, making 'mud angels' with Takeshi howling laughter over him. I groaned and rubbed my temple. Mud was hell to get out of Lambo's hair.

Mephisto lifted his head at the squealing, before letting out a great huff and dropping his head back onto my thigh, grumbling until I reached down and pet him behind the ears.

"We'll let him off the hook this time," I hummed down to the pup. "After all he's been through, what's a bit of mud?"

Then lightning cracked the sky in half and Lambo was jumping up and down in excitement, loudly exclaiming, 'it's me! It's me!'. Takeshi only supported this by joining in with 'it's you! It's you!'.

I huffed a short laugh and dropped my chin on my hand, watching them run around barefoot in the storm and mud before Lambo jumped on his father and two of them landed in a large puddle. Takeshi cackled as he held his mud-monster of a son to his chest and they laid like that for a little while, watching the rain fall on their faces.

"I'll get the bath running," I smiled before getting to my feet. "Miphy, go get the hose."

. . .

Lambo cooed and squinted his eyes closed as I pat his face down with a towel, the little boy all clean and fresh after a good, hot bath. He was dressed in his softest pyjamas and smelt of mint and cotton flower.

"Feeling good, baby?" I hummed, and he made a happy noise as I started to dry his hair.

Mephisto yawned behind us up on the couch, watching lazily as the heater in the corner made him drowsy. His tail was wagging slowly, and he rolled onto his back, a leg kicking in the air.

The sound of footsteps told me that Takeshi had finished his bath as well and had come into the living room, a towel draped over his shoulders and dressed in his own pyjamas. He came and sat beside me with a greeting smile, kissing my cheek lightly.

I hummed as arms wrapped around my waist and my love leant against my side, watching our son as I continued to dry him off.

"Mama," Lambo murmured and crawled out of my hands to clamber into my lap.

"Wanna take a break?" I asked, getting a nod in response. "Okay, we'll take a break."

I wrapped my arms around my baby and leant back against the foot of the couch where Mephisto lay, Takeshi following me until all four of us were curled together. I rubbed Lambo's back as he cuddled close, cooing down at him sweetly and keeping his hands warm.

"Did you wash the bath?" I asked Takeshi as I dropped my head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, bathroom's all clean again," he responded softly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"Hm, good boy," I praised and got squeezed tighter, his ears burning slightly. "Have the others come yet? Any communication?"

Takeshi was quiet for a moment, and I huffed as he kissed the top of my head.

"No, not yet," he responded quietly, "I think they're giving you some time to heal."

"We need to talk to them soon."

"Later," he said quickly, kissing me again. "Later. For now, just rest with us. They'll come when they're ready for answers."

"Mm, if you're sure, my love," I hummed, too cosy to question his logic at the moment.

Rain was still beating against the windows and I was drawn from petting Lambo's back as Tsuyoshi walked into the living room. He gave a great sigh as he fell onto the couch and tugged off his headband, relaxing to the cushions.

"Nearly ready to close up?" I asked with a smile.

"Yeah, fifteen more minutes before we lock the doors. Takeshi-kun, I'll need you to help shut shop."

"I can help too," I offered, "Count the register or something?"

Takeshi turned to me with a slight frown and I felt the grip on my shoulder tighten for a moment before it backed off and he began touching the side of my throat.

"No, Daiki, you're going back to bed. You were moving around all day, that's enough."

"Moving around?" I echoed with a snort. "I sat on the balcony and ran a bath."

"Then you chased Lambo until he put pants on. And you helped make dinner," he added, and then gave me an imploring look. "Please. Go get ready for bed. Take a shower, and I'll come help with the medicine when I'm done helping tou-san."

I looked to Tsuyoshi for back up, but the old Yamamoto merely raised his hands as if to say 'this is between you two'. I huffed and glanced at Takeshi, who was still waiting before I groaned and dropped my head onto his shoulder.

"Okay, love," I submitted, "As you wish."

"Thank you, Daiki," he cooed, sounding so relieved, and pressed a kiss on my temple. "Let's finish up with Bo-kun then?"

"Yeah, come on, baby, time to dry off," I crooned down at the boy who looked ready to doze off. "Oh, sweetie."

I carried Lambo to the bathroom and proceeded to blow dry his hair, pushing around thick curls to try and get to the roots. Lambo's face was all scrunched up as his hair blew around in tangles and curls, and as soon as I turned off the hairdryer, he tried to bolt, but I caught him around the waist and lifted him up.

"Now, now, come on, baby," I scolded gently, "We need to brush your hair now or it'll be hard to untangle later."

"But Mama!" He whined, wriggling around under my arm as my other hand searched for the two different brushes we had to use on his hair.

Between us, Takeshi and I wondered if Lambo had some kind of islander or other blood in him with his hair. We weren't sure though, since we knew that later on his hair calmed down a bit as he became a teenager. Nevertheless, we had to put in some extra effort to take care of his hair, such as employing more brushes and being just that little more patient with it and Lambo himself.

I dropped Lambo down in my lap on his bed and began to slowly fiddle away tangles and knots, trying to be as gentle as I could. Now and then, Lambo's shoulders would jump after a tug, and I'd wrap my arms around him and hush out a soft apology.

Once all the knots were gone, it was smooth sailing for the brushes as I swapped it out for a wider bristled brush and just began to smooth everything out. A quiet yawn bubbled up from Lambo's throat and my baby's head bobbed, trying to stay awake.

"Bedtime, sweet love," I cooed, setting aside the brush and laying him down under his sheets.

"Mama, stay?" He asked, reaching for my hand with his own and grasping my fingers.

I smiled and sat on the side of Lambo's bed, letting him continue to hold my hand.

"Somebody's taking the train to Sleepytime Junction," I hummed, watching the familiar happiness spark in his mint green eyes before he snuggled down into his blankets, still holding my hand tight. "Somebody is so tired he can barely function."

I shifted and with my free hand rubbed his back through the sheets, continuing to lightly sing that little song we had grown so fond of. He smiled through it, and his grip relaxed as he slipped off, fast asleep before long and all cosy in bed.

Carefully, so as to not wake him, I rose and made my way out of his bedroom before flicking off the lights. A loud huff caught my attention, and I looked down as Mephisto nudged his way around my feet and flopped down on his bed beside Lambo's, big, brown eyes staring at me from the room.

"Goodnight, puppy," I whispered, watching his ears twitch and tail thump the bed.

I scratched my scalp with a sigh as I ducked into the bedroom to find my towel and bathroom supplies. I took a quick shower, being careful of my stitches and resisting the urge to pick at scabs. My neck pulled as I rolled it, stretching it left and right to try and get the crick out.

I must have been in the shower longer than I thought, got caught up in shower thoughts, because soon there was a knock at the door and Takeshi called through.

"Shop's all closed, I'll wait in the bedroom."

"Okay," I responded, scrubbing my face with the hot water. "I'll be out in a second."

After brushing my teeth and washing my mouth out, I joined Takeshi in our bedroom; the boy sitting back on his side of the bed, flicking through a sports magazine. I glanced at Takeshi's expression and smiled, not needing to read the title to recognise that he was catching up on the news of the next baseball game and the specs of the string players.

"Anything exciting?" I asked, digging through my little basket Tsuyoshi had given me for all my medical supplies rather than that flimsy plastic bag.

"My favourite's in the first string this time! And he's with Ryuji-san! Remember him? They play great together!"

"Ryuji-san, isn't he the one who pitches really well? Got a bunch out last time?" I asked, bringing up memories of the last time Takeshi and I had huddled on the couch and watched a game together.

"Yeah! I've been trying to copy how he pitches to get better, but I can't seem to get it down," he pouted, before putting aside the magazine as I came over with creams and bandages in hand.

"Oh love, your pitches are great. But how about this, tomorrow if the weather is better, we can go to the park and you can practise while Bo-kun plays on the equipment?"

"You're meant to stay in bed," Takeshi frowned.

"But going outside would be good for me, fresh air and sunshine. And Bo-kun's becoming restless too, we need to take him outside before he tears apart the house."

Takeshi shifted before coming to sit next to me and said, "Okay, but stay where I can see you. And don't stress yourself out, just sunbathe or something. Please."

A furrow had started to bend my lips, but that little 'please' at the end caught my heart and found myself bowing under his request. I sighed and cupped his face in my hand, watching him lean into it eagerly, nuzzling with his nose and taking deep breaths.

"Okay. We can have a small picnic, too. And I'll snack while I watch you, maybe read some of my books."

"Sounds good," he smiled, "I hope it's sunny tomorrow."

"Me too," I agreed, before closing my eyes as Takeshi reared up for a kiss.

Takeshi reached up and wrapped his arms around my neck as he kissed at my lips, and through it, I absently thought that he had been using his mouth more recently. Kissing, licking, sucking, biting. Any oral-based activity had been increased by tenfold since we had returned from the Future - perhaps even before then.

I had mentioned it before, 'I think your oral fixation and biting habit has begun to evolve'. Takeshi enjoyed kissing before, but now he grabbed me at every opportunity and wouldn't let go until something either interrupted us or I convinced him off. And now that we were living together, there were many opportunities.

This morning had been a prime example.

I had woken up with the intense need for a shower, my hair feeling greasy and something in my blank dreams making me feel dirty. Consequently, I had needed to reapply bandages and creams afterwards, and as always, Takeshi was more than willing to help.

It took me longer than usual to get ready that day, by at least 20 minutes. And the reason showed now as I pried Takeshi off me and undressed my shirt, pushing ointment bottles to his chest before he could jump on me again.

"Let's get ready for bed, sweetheart," I huffed, watching his eyes glaze over as he stared at my body like it was the first time all over again.

You'd think he'd leave me alone while I was still healing, but it seemed that so long as he didn't stray too close to any wounds, everything was free rein. 'A little bit of touching is okay' I had said, and Takeshi had taken that to heart, leaving marks everywhere above waist height. Kiss marks, bite marks, pink patches where he had just sat and suckled.

Oral fixation. I was worried that it was another one of his coping mechanisms. But I'd so much rather he find stability in kissing me than biting his knuckles bloody.

"Takeshi," I called, poking his nose. "Earth to Takeshi? Going to help me with the ointment?"

Takeshi played with the bottle in his hands for a moment before looking up at me hopefully and asked, "Play first?"

"Again?" I laughed, and he made a soft, sheepish laugh as he scooted closer and laid his hand on my stomach. I gazed down at him as he started to breathe from his mouth, licking his lips and chewing on his inner cheek. God, I was a sucker for this boy. "Okay, but be gentle."

Takeshi grinned, and he wasted no time in chasing me up the bed until I was laid down, clambering to sit on my lap and hover over me. He kept smiling, teeth exposed and viscerally excited as he looked me up and down like he was planning where to start from, what pattern he would make.

I watched him for a moment, before reaching up and cupping his cheek again, taking a moment to run my thumb under his eye and tried to soothe him down, make everything seem less hysteric. He cooed and grabbed my wrist before pressing a long kiss onto the palm, before his eyes snapped down at me when I tugged my wrist back.

I couldn't help myself and let a little, cheeky smile touch my lips as I tugged again, purposefully trying to rile him up a bit. He started at my smiled before reflecting his own jocund one and then closed his mouth around two of my fingers.

I jolted as he started to suckle, one-hundred-and-one thoughts going through my head, but all I ended up saying was, "Careful of your jaw, my love."

Takeshi made a soft, almost gargled, noise of recognition and affection as his other hand started to move along my stomach being very careful of scabs and wounds. He touched and pet the pink spots he had left behind this morning and played with the ones he had left throughout the day, finding one that would be thought more of a bruise than just a mark at this point.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his beam of joy and pride, and quietly berated myself for being so weak for him all the time. I'd let him get away with murder at this point, damn it.

"Come on, kiss," I called, slipping my fingers out of his mouth and pulling him by the back of his neck.

Takeshi didn't resist and pressed a happy kiss on me, both hands wandering around and slipping under my back to hug me tight. I reached around and laid my hands on Takeshi's back, thumbing at his spine and tracing his shoulder blades, finding that diamond of freckles I knew existed just under his nape.

"Say you love me?" He requested, nearly demanded, looming overhead, blocking out the ceiling light.

"You know I do," I hummed, and he nearly whined at my aversion.

"Just say it, please?"

"Okay," I laughed, "I love you, Takeshi. So much."

"I love you too," Takeshi smiled, pressing a kiss to my cheek, then my jaw, then my throat, "I love you too."

I glanced at the clock on the side table and saw the time as nearly nine, before I leant back and let Takeshi ride out his hyper-fixation, making sure to always keep my hands on him.

The clock read nine forty-five by the time I was bandaged and dressed again, pink and red peeking out beneath the cloth and making Takeshi preen. I huffed as he caught me around the waist and pulled close; the boy cuddling into my nape eagerly.

"Time to sleep, sweetheart," I breathed out, Takeshi once again using the time he had spent applying creams and ointment to make me all dozy and relaxed.

"Goodnight, Daiki," Takeshi purred, looking all too satisfied with himself as he curled up in bed next to me.

"Goodnight," I smiled and let him reach out to hold my hand under the sheets, listening to the rain outside.

. . .

Chair. Needle. Intercom. Coat. Byakuran-

I opened my eyes and took a shuddering breath, tears streaking down the sides of my face and seeping into my hairline. My nose was hot and clogged, and I swallowed thickly before turning to look at Takeshi who slept at my side.

A soft noise of pain left me when I saw his face pinched in distress. His shoulders were bunched tight, and he seemed to flinch every other moment.

I shuddered and reached out to him - Takeshi jolted awake and choked on a sob. His eyes snapped around before they latched onto me, and I lowered my hand to cup his tear-tacky face.

"Daiki," he breathed, the sound shaky. "Why are you awake?"

"...I had a nightmare," I whispered to him through the Forge, shuffling closer. My lips were tightly sealed shut, teeth clenched. "And you, my love?"

"Me too," Takeshi sniffled, kissing my hand and grasping it with his own. "I had a nightmare too."

I nodded slowly before pressing my face into Takeshi's shoulder, feeling his arms come around and embrace me to him. We held each other tight as we gave laboured breaths, our hearts beating too fast for three in the morning.

"We're not going to be able to go back to sleep tonight, huh?" Takeshi huffed, his hand shoved under my shirt to feel the living warmth of my skin.

"I don't think so..." I admitted, before drawing my face out of his shoulder. "We could do something together? If you want."

We needed to move. Needed to shake out the fight-or-flight humming in our blood.

"Okay," Takeshi nodded, and we slowly rose up from the bed. I saw my husband wipe his eyes and my heart lurched within my chest. "Whatever we're doing...Can it be something that I can touch you while doing?"

"Of course," I assured, reaching out and in seconds I had my arms full of Rain. "Do we..." I racked my brain for something calming, something moving, something close. "Want to dance?"

Takeshi blinked up at me, before a touch of colour came back to his pale parlour and he smiled.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like to dance with you, wife."

I flushed and let my husband rise up to press a soft kiss on to my tightly sealed lips. He paused when he felt how stiff I was before he sighed and kissed me again.

We propped Takeshi's computer up onto his mattress and kicked our laundry and bags out of the way on the floor to make room. I crouched down and began looking up tutorials as Takeshi pushed some of the larger obstacles out of the way, rolling his desk chair across the room.

"Today, we're going to a series based on the waltz. Now the box step..."

Takeshi grasped my hand as I stood beside him in front of the computer, our fingers linking tight. He smiled a bit at me as the instructors continued to give some introduction, and I smiled back in a reassuring way.

We followed the steps shown to us by the instructors, our bare feet gliding over the cold floorboards. One, two, three...one, two, three.

"Now, let's dance this with a partner..."

"Are you going to take the woman's role in this, love?" Takeshi asked as we quickly turned to face me, perhaps forgoing style to press himself fully against my front.

"Yeah," I nodded, "I'll be your wife in this."

We fixed our hands to suit what showed on screen and I laid my other hand on his shoulder. Takeshi's free hand came and settled on my left shoulder-blade, a warmth spreading out from that point.

"Give a bit of room, my darling," I urged, and Takeshi hesitated before he stepped back and slightly to the side, so our feet and knees didn't run into each other.

We were looking at our feet more than each other and the number of times we stumbled and cursed when we got lost was less than romantic but...Takeshi smiled at me as we went around the ballroom that was the tight space between his bed and his desk, the tears in his eyes drying and the shudder of his breath long faded.

I tilted my head and let myself follow him wherever he led me before I kissed him lightly and said, "I love you."

Takeshi absolutely beamed as I used my tongue to speak again, and we continued to dance around as the light of the bedside lamp chased away self-hatred and the looming echo of knives and electronic voices.

. . .

"Ready to go back to school?" I asked softly, running my hand through Takeshi's hair as he cuddled up to me, face shoved into my chest.

"No."

"It's Monday, you've got class in three hours."

"No," Takeshi pouted, nuzzling in again. "I wanna stay with you. Too tired to go anywhere."

I smiled and pressed a kiss on Takeshi's head, rubbing his back reassuringly. He purred and began to paw around with his hand, finding my own and threading our fingers together and holding tight.

"You have to go, sweetheart," I pressed, "And then we can go on that picnic. The rain ended while we were dancing last night."

Takeshi paused, and I saw his face break out into a smile, cheeks flushing a bit as he said, "I liked that. Dancing with you."

"I liked it too," I agreed, before cooing as Takeshi laid on me and rested his head on my shoulder. "No, no, get up, you have to go to school."

"But Daiki!"

"No 'but Daiki', you're going."

Takeshi whined even as he stood up and began getting ready. He tugged on his pants and slipped on his shirt, before he grabbed his tie and looked at me over his shoulder. The boy smiled before he clambered onto the bed and, like last night, sat astride my lap, holding the tie out to me.

"Hayato taught you how to put that on," I huffed, picking up the tie, and absently looped it around my palm a couple times.

"Please?" He asked, smiling hopefully.

I raised an eyebrow before relenting, looping the tie around his neck and doing it up in a simple, quick knot. I smoothed his collar out and ran my fingers through his hair, taming his appearance a bit.

"Look at you, so handsome," I praised, and he beamed, cheeks all pink and pretty.

"Let's go and have breakfast."

"Shot-not to waking up our Bo-kun," I chuckled, "He kicks before nine."

"I'll grab him by his feet then," Takeshi grinned sharply, before hopping off my lap and helping me to my feet.

"I'm not incapacitated."

"Just let me do this. It makes me feel better."

I gazed down at my Takeshi for a moment, his hand still in my own, before I sighed and bowed my head in agreement. He smiled up at me and pressed a kiss on my knuckles before tugging me out the door.

"I'll get our baby," Takeshi hummed, and I dropped a peck on his cheek. "Be back in a minute – maybe for a bucket of water."

"Don't be too mean to him," I laughed, before calling out to him as he left, "And make sure he doesn't use any grenades!"

"Daiki, good morning," Tsuyoshi greeted as I stepped into the kitchen, already working on grilling some fish.

"Morning," I smiled, rubbing my eye absently. I was still pretty tired, both from the poor sleep and from waking up so 'late', it had messed with my internal clock a bit. "Anything I can help with?"

"Can you get the big pot out of the fridge? And set the table please."

"Miso?" I asked, peering into the largest pot in the fridge, condensation building on the sides as I carried it over to the stove for reheating.

"Yeah. I made a lot yesterday, so if you need something light to eat today you can just grab a bowl."

By the time I had grabbed all the plates and had patted generous portions of steamed rice into bowls, Takeshi walked back into the room with Lambo stumbling after him, barely awake. The young boy slowly navigated around the dining table before reaching my side where he tugged on my pant leg, making grabby hands up at me.

"Morning, baby," I cooed, fixing the last portion before picking up the Lightning and balancing him on my hip. Lambo yawned and put his head on my shoulder. "Come on, sweetie, stay awake. You've slept so much, why are you so tired?"

"He's a growing boy!" Takeshi smiled, grabbing three small bottles of milk and depositing them on the table.

"Watch out, Daiki. Hot pan, coming through," Tsuyoshi warned, and I got out of the way as the old Yamamoto disposed of the grilled fish on each plate, some stir-fried greens following.

"Go and feed Miphy, Bo-kun," I instructed gently, lowering the child back onto the ground.

"Okay, Mammmm," Lambo murmured, and Takeshi and I shared an amused glance, it seemed it was too early for Lambo to be talking right now.

We had started giving Lambo chores, nothing huge or complex, and we could count how many he had on one hand. Feed Miphy in the morning and at night and make sure Miphy's water bowl is full. Two simple chores, but enough to start enforcing responsibility and schedule. Lambo had taken to it easily, and early on it had clicked that if Lambo didn't do his chores, then his best friend Miphy didn't get to eat.

Takeshi smiled as he oversaw Lambo getting a cup of dog food and pouring it into Mephisto's bowl, giving the wait command, and then excitedly allowing the puppy to chow down. The Rain got on his knee and cooed praises at Lambo for doing his chores so efficiently, before bringing our baby to the table.

"So when are you going back to school again, Daiki?" Tsuyoshi asked as we worked through our breakfasts.

"Next week," I answered, "Five more days of bed rest, according to the doctor."

"So you better stay in bed for the rest of it!" Takeshi warned, waving his spoon at me. "Just 'cause I'm not around to watch you doesn't mean you can do something dumb."

"You are the last person I want to hear that from," I snorted before pouting as he gave me a reprimanding poke.

"I love you, so I want you to get better quickly," he frowned at me, finding my hand with his own and squeezing tight.

"I know," I chuckled, running my thumb over his knuckles.

They looked so much better now, no longer red or irritated, though there were some scabs remaining from where he had bitten deepest. Takeshi must have noticed my staring, because he flushed in shame and tried to hide his knuckles, but I grabbed his hand and pressed a soft kiss on his fingers.

"So, Bo-kun, are you going to the Sawada house today?" Tsuyoshi asked, handing the boy a tissue after he had somehow managed to get miso on his forehead.

"Nuh-uh! Lambo-san wants to stay with Mama," he denied, shaking his head.

"Going to make sure she doesn't run off again?" The old Yamamoto snickered and Lambo nodded.

"Lambo-san will make sure Mama sleeps safe!"

"Thank you, baby," I cooed, bending to kiss his cheek. "Let's finish breakfast then, Daddy and Oji-san have to get on with the day."

Takeshi and I cleaned up after breakfast while his father slowly sipped on tea and Lambo worked off some energy with Miphy in the backyard. Takeshi was wiping down the table before he jumped and whipped around as I gave a sharp curse and held my fingers tight.

"What happened? Let me see, is it bad?" He asked quickly, crossing the distance in a dash and grabbed my wrists.

"It's okay, I just got my finger caught between a stack of plates," I soothed, shaking my hand out with a hiss. "It'll be gone in a second."

"How 'bout you wipe down the table and I'll finish off stacking the dishwasher, yeah?" Takeshi urged, eyes fixated on the little abrasion in my skin above the cuticle.

"You sure? I'm nearly done though."

"It's okay! Just- Just go wipe the table, you're better at seeing spills than I am, anyway! I'd probably miss a bunch of spots," he grinned up at me, a slight furrow of concern unable to come out of his brow.

I tilted my head in worry, before nodding as I said, "Okay, watch out for your fingers though."

"Yes, wife," Takeshi smiled before he popped a soft kiss on my wounded finger.

After everything was cleaned up, I stuck my head out the back door and called for my baby and pup, both of them bounding over at the summons. I gave a big stretch and sighed as I kicked off my slippers and climbed back into my warm bed, Lambo scuttling in after and Mephisto finding a divot for himself beside us.

I reached out and pulled Lambo close, my baby cooing as he burrowed himself into my chest with a vengeance, pressing his hands in so they'd warm up. I hummed and began playing with Lambo's hair, the nice cotton flower smell still lingering after yesterday's bath.

"My baby, so cute," I cooed and kissed his face all over until he whined and hid in my shoulder.

Takeshi walked into our room and grinned when he saw us all cuddled up in his bed, the Rain came over, taking his time looking at the three of us. His eyes lit up when I cuddled Lambo closer as I watched him approach, smiling back at him.

"Eh, no fair. I wanna stay home and cuddle with Mama too," Takeshi hummed, patting Lambo's back before rubbing Mephisto's belly. "Bo-kun wanna switch? You go to school and I'll stay with Mama."

"No," Lambo rejected flatly, "Lambo-san stays with Mama."

"That's right," I chuckled, "Baby's staying with Mama in bed while Daddy has to go. We're gonna cuddle all day without you~!"

"Don't make me too jealous, wife," Takeshi warned with a smile, and I smothered my grin into Lambo's hair.

"I would never, husband," I cooed before closing my eyes as he pressed a kiss on my cheek and then one on Lambo's.

"I have to go now," Takeshi murmured to me, still leaning close, one knee up on the bedside. "I'll call you at break to see how you are, please answer."

"If I'm not asleep," I assured, "But I'll text you if I see a missed call."

"I can live with that," he smiled, "I'll bring your homework home with me. Maybe you can work on it when we go to the park later today."

"Sounds good."

I stared up at Takeshi for a little while, just enjoying the feeling of his hand on my cheek.

This would be the first time I had been separated from him for so long in a while, and as much as I hated it, I could feel a kind of cold panic, a great hesitance building in my chest. I didn't want him to leave, to break my line of sight and go off somewhere where I couldn't verify his wellbeing and presence at a moment's notice.

It had taken a couple of nights, a couple of times getting out of bed and checking Lambo's room, of watching Takeshi's chest rise and fall, before I had managed to ween myself off the haunting thought that I'd wake up again in a concrete room. And now he was leaving – only for seven or eight hours come on – far from where I could just reach out and touch him – he was going to call you anyway – and prove he was here – Lambo's here, Mephisto's here, Tsuyoshi's just outside in the shop calm down.

I blinked and smiled when I noticed my staring, the Rain patiently taking my focus. I never claimed my fear to be rational.

"I'll miss you," I whispered.

"I'll miss you too," he smiled, tucking some hair behind my ear for me. "Have some rest, and I'll be back before you know it."

"I doubt that."

"Well, I tried," Takeshi hummed, and I laughed as he pressed another smothering kiss on me. "Talk to you later, shujin-chan. Bye-bye, baby."

"Bye-bye, Daddy," Lambo mumbled, already drifting off again.

With the amount this baby slept, I honestly wasn't surprised by how tall he grew in the future anymore. We knew it wasn't true, but we liked to joke that it was in the genetics. I watched Takeshi go with huge reluctancy, before turning back to my baby and cuddling him close. It'd be okay, we were safe now, I just needed to relax.

---

|Y.T|

Takeshi chewed on his mechanical pen as he waited for the bell to sound and allow him to call Daiki. It had been hours since he had last checked on her, and it was weighing on him, a low-simmering nervousness that was starting to bubble. He satiated himself, however, by reminding himself that Daiki was no doubt all curled up in his bed at home. He forced himself to replay the image as Daiki and Lambo cuddling in the morning, puppy laid out on his back beside them. His little family, all warm and safe together. Takeshi smiled to himself and kicked his feet under his desk. Gah, he wanted to be at home and snuggle with them!

"Ah, I guess we've run out of time today," the teacher hummed as she looked up from the board as the bell shrieked. "Everyone do activities one to thirty. Take your time and make sure to read the question, they're going to be tricky this time."

Takeshi gave a cheerful acknowledgement before shoving his hand into his bag and, barely waiting for the teacher to actually vacate the room, dialled the familiar number. It rung once, twice, and Takeshi's smile began to slip. He rightened himself quickly and used his hand to cover his expression, careful of the eyes in the room.

He was sent to the message bank; Daiki hadn't answered.

Takeshi bit the knuckle of his pointer and redialled, listening to the tone ring out once more.

Then his phone rang, and Takeshi scrambled to answer it.

"Daiki!"

"Sorry, love!" Daiki apologised and the first thing he noticed was how far away her voice sounded. She was on the loudspeaker. "I was going to answer but, I, uh, the sounds still aren't easy for me."

Takeshi paused before he cursed himself quietly. Why hadn't he thought about that, realised it? Daiki had told him about her time in that room, he should have been more mindful and realised how voices through a speaker would affect her.

"Daiki, I'm sorry, I'll-"

"No! No, it's okay, it's…It just took me a little to get prepared for it, and since I know your voice I can handle it. I just needed some time to, you know, emotionally prepare."

"Of course, I'm sorry," Takeshi apologised again, putting his head in his hand. "Do you want me to make this quick then? Or we could text?"

"It's okay, I'll be okay. Your voice is nice, so its good training for me," she soothed, and Takeshi heard her shift around in bed. "So, how are you?"

"I should be asking you that," the Rain smiled, and absently, he acknowledged Tsuna and Hayato coming to sit around his table. "I'm fine, though."

"I'm well too, love. Bo-kun's off finding the next book in the series for me to read, he's missed out on a lot of reading time."

Takeshi cuddled into himself a bit as he listened to her talk, hearing the affection slip back into her tone the more she got used to the sound of the phone.

"Have you eaten lunch yet?"

"Not yet, we will before we start the next book though," she assured, then there was a long pause between them, just listening to the other side of the phone. "I'll let you go now, break's only so long. Say hi to the guys for me, and try to not fall asleep in class. I love you."

"I love you too," he hummed and Hayato rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"Mm – baby, come here and say hi to Daddy!"

"DADDY!" Lambo shouted into the phone, and Takeshi let out a laugh as he rubbed his ear.

"Hey Bo-kun, looking after Mama for me?"

"YEAH!"

"Good baby," Takeshi praised, and he heard the familiar cackle of joy come from the boy. "Okay, I've got to go now. Remember to rest. I'll be home soon."

"Bye-bye, Daddy!"

"Bye, love."

Takeshi was still smiling when he hung up his phone, and it only bloomed wider when he saw the look of flat and mild disdain on Hayato's face. He laughed loudly before pocketing his phone and sat up a bit, feeling much better after verifying Daiki's wellbeing.

"So guys, what's up?"

"Is Daiki feeling better?" Tsuna asked as he finished unpacking his lunch on the desk.

"Yeah, but she's still sleeping a lot. Shamal-sensei said that those Sun vials she took before would have taken a lot out of her, so she's catching up now," Takeshi explained.

"So? When will she be ready to talk?" Hayato cut straight to the point as he guzzled down a banana milk. "The longer we put this off, the worse it can get."

Takeshi gave a thin smile but couldn't deny him. After all, it wasn't too long ago he had also said that Daiki should just fess up already. He gave a long sigh and dropped his chin in his hand, absently pouting at his friends.

He just wanted Daiki to rest longer, not deal with anything stressful or complex. She deserved to sleep for as long as she wanted, laze about as much as she wanted, and just enjoy being the centre of his world for a while. But, he supposed, Daiki wouldn't be relaxed until she had addressed the elephant in the room.

"What are you guys doing tomorrow afternoon?" Takeshi asked, glancing between the two. "I'll talk to Daiki tonight and help her get her thoughts in order before you come, otherwise you won't understand anything. Have you ever heard Daiki talk unfiltered? It's the funniest thing! Oh, but what's funnier is when she bumps her shoulder or knee against a table or cabinet? She doesn't scream, never has, she just makes this lowercase 'aah' sound, kind of like a Furby, actually."

"Remind me why I got him talking about his dumb crush again?" Hayato groaned.

"You should have known better, Hayato," Tsuna wheezed, "He won't stop until the end of break."

"I'm so sorry, Tenth."

The door to their classroom slid open with a great slam before Ryohei slunk in. He released a huge whine as he sat on the floor next to Takeshi's desk, a prominent pout of boredom on his lips.

"When's bro gonna come back to school?" He asked, dropping his chin on the edge of the desk. "It's boring in class. I've got to pay attention the whole time and I can't do that."

"She'll be back next week," Takeshi assured with a laugh.

"But that's a whole week away!"

"I'm glad there's something rattling in that head of yours," Hayato scoffed.

"We're all going to Takeshi's house tomorrow to see her," Tsuna began before Ryohei could realise he had been insulted and cause a riot. "You're coming, right?"

"EXTREMELY!" the Sun jumped up, "I'll be there! And Kyoko hasn't seen Daiki since we got back, we better tell her!"

"Will Daiki want that?" Tsuna asked the Rain.

"If it's Kyoko, then definitely. I'm not sure about Haru, though. I'll have to ask her," Takeshi paused before he dropped his chin in his hands and donned a stupid grin. "I can't wait to go home to Daiki."

"Gross," Hayato sniffed.

. . .

Takeshi yawned as he arrived home, the sound of Mephisto yapping loudly a welcome noise to him. He dropped his bag and toed off his shoes before running into the house, so ready for a good cuddle session with his wife.

The Rain yelled a greeting to his father before getting to his door and retching it open, grin wide and excited.

"Daiki, I'm-"

Takeshi froze and stared at the empty room before him. The bed had been made and the cup Daiki usually had on their side table was gone, her slippers no longer half-tucked under the frame. All of it, every little detail, from the pot plant on the windowsill to the clutterless desk, screamed at him one thing: Daiki was gone.

"Daiki?" He called out, breath coming short. "Daiki!? Daiki, where are you!?"

Takeshi backed out into the hall and looked around wildly, his chest squeezed tight and his brain reeling. He couldn't focus on anything and his head felt light as he continued to call out, turning on his heel to scream down the hall.

"Daiki? Sweetheart, where are you? Shujin-chan!? Wife! Daiki!"

"I'm here, I'm here, give me a second. What's up?"

Takeshi gasped and spun around to see the girl coming down the hall, a towel around her shoulders as she dried her hair. He didn't hesitate for a second and threw himself at her, arms wrapping tight around her waist with a vengeance.

"Where were you!?" he yelled, digging his nails into her skin even as his voice quivered a bit.

Daiki frowned in concern before she smiled and answered, "In the shower? I did some cleaning and wanted to wash my hair."

Cleaning. Daiki had cleaned, which explained the desk and the bed, and she was wearing her slippers.

She hadn't left. She hadn't been taken.

All the anger and fear that was in Takeshi melted out of him, and with it any energy he had left that afternoon. He whimpered before smiling weakly as he leant up against his wife, getting as close to her as he could as he stared up at her face.

"Let's...Let's shower together from now on, yeah?" he asked, and Daiki's face went red.

"Oh, uh," she stuttered, before she rubbed the damp back of her head, ears aflame. "You want to shower together…Maybe? We'll - we'll talk about it."

Takeshi smothered his face in her chest, needing to touch every last bit of her after such a scare. He was panting still as he gripped the back of her shirt in his fists, before Daiki's arms came up and wrapped around him too, a hand resting on the back of his head.

"Shh, what happened?" Daiki soothed, cradling him close.

"Nothing. Nothing, I just-" Takeshi choked and shuddered all over, so tired after a spike of fear and the drop that followed.

"Hey, it's okay," his wife crooned. "Let's lay down. You're exhausted. I'll carry you."

"No! I can walk! Don't stress yourself anymore!" he scolded, nearly tugging himself out of her arms.

"Okay," she hushed, "Okay, let's go to bed then, let's lay down."

Takeshi breathed heavily as he held onto his wife, bodily wrapped around her arm as she guided him into their room. He wheezed as he felt himself be lowered onto his bed, arms still holding tight as Daiki laid herself next to him.

"I've got such a pretty husband," she murmured, cupping his cheek and leaning her forehead against his. "Look at you...So handsome."

Takeshi shivered and crawled closer to Daiki, burrowing into her arms, kissing her skin still wet from her shower. She smelt so good though and he took deep breaths of her scent, making his wife laugh and kiss his forehead with affection.

He heard Daiki rummage around in his bedside drawer for a moment before he had a piece of gum pressed against his lips. Takeshi immediately took it in his mouth and started chewing, feeling himself start to calm down as Daiki hugged him again.

"God, I love you," she whispered to him.

"I love you too," Takeshi breathed. "Never leave me, please."

"I won't," she promised, "Remember what I said? I want to stay right by your side." She reached across and began to rub Takeshi's back, soothing him as best she could. "Do you...want to talk about what happened?"

"...No," Takeshi uttered, hiding himself in her chest. "I'm so tired."

"Okay," Daiki uttered out, "Let's sleep for a while. I'll be right here, just rest."

Takeshi closed his eyes and listened to Daiki breathe, her heart beating in his ears. He listened to it all, the sound of her breath, of the sheets moving with it, of her heart, of her soft-spoken voice as she hummed aimlessly.

This is where they belonged. He could be calm now. Daiki was here, Daiki was with him. Daiki was safe. He could be calm.

. . .

Daiki had been watching Takeshi carefully since his slip and Takeshi couldn't decide if he was embarrassed or pleased with the extra attention. When he had woken up from their nap, his wife, who believed something had gone horribly wrong either at school or on his way home had immediately coddled him. He had barely managed to calm her down, and Lambo had come tottering in before she could wrangle an explanation out of him.

Takeshi understood that, really, his reaction had been unnecessary, that he had jumped to conclusions just from checking one room. It was just…He hadn't expected it and after being apart from Daiki for hours and then to suddenly see their bedroom empty like that he-

Takeshi swung his bat and then re-centred himself, slowing his breath down.

Daiki sat on a picnic blanket in the afternoon, watching him closely while Lambo played on the equipment and Takeshi practised his batting stance. Her homework readings were on her lap, but she had barely turned a page in fifteen minutes, just carefully observing.

"I thought you wanted to practise your bowling," Daiki called out.

"Yeah, but then I'd have to keep walking after the ball and that would take forever!"

Takeshi smiled when he heard her give a soft laugh, before he was caught around the waist from behind and a kiss was planted on his cheek. He hummed as she rocked them on the spot, cuddling tight.

"Do you want me to catch the ball for you?" She asked, "It's been a while since we played together."

Takeshi perked up and glanced over his shoulder, "Play?"

"Play play," Daiki clarified with a huff, "Not bedroom play."

The Rain pouted and leant back against his wife's chest, letting her feel his weight in an act of petty vengeance.

"So, do you want me to play catch with you?" she prompted.

"Yeah, that'd be fun," Takeshi smiled, "Don't push yourself thought."

"Mhm," she hummed before Takeshi took off in a jog across the field. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

Daiki smiled and bowled the ball hard, watching the Rain's eyes lit up as he jumped to catch it. He pegged it back at her, and Daiki didn't hesitate to snatch the ball out of the air, sending a little pulse of Sun to her hand as the skin stung on impact.

They tossed the ball back and forth, Takeshi shifting his footing and trying out different pitching styles. He cheered and jumped up on the spot as Daiki fumbled her catch, before he called for a break, watching Daiki as she rolled her shoulder and sat down on the blanket. Lambo came fumbling his way over and started guzzling water from his cup, each swallow emphasised by a loud exhale.

"Slow down, Bo-kun," Takeshi warned, putting his hand on the boy's back. "Don't drown yourself."

"Did you have fun, baby?" Daiki asked, giving their son a sandwich to chew on.

"Yeah! I climbed up the fire pole!"

"Cool! I could never do that, I just kept slipping," Takeshi laughed, before accepting the baby crawling to sit in his lap. "What were you playing with the other kids? You guys were so loud!"

"Sharky! No one could get me though, I climbed on the roof of the cubby!"

"Be careful when doing that, if you slip you could hurt yourself badly," Daiki reminded, "Stay where you're meant to. If it's hard to get to the roof, that means you shouldn't be up there."

"But that's not as fun," Lambo pouted.

"Mama's just worried about you," Takeshi hummed, playing with their baby's fingers. "And wouldn't it be more fun for you just nearly get caught by the sharks, but managed to get out in time? The suspense! The drama!"

Daiki smiled around her own sandwich as she watched Takeshi convince their son, he was always more of a people's person. Takeshi paused before his face lit up into a grin as his wife snuck a kiss on his cheek with a soft 'love you' whispered into his ear.

The Rain reaching for his wife and held her hand for a bit, leaning against her shoulder. He smiled as Lambo offered him a sandwich, ducking down so he could take a bit out of the outstretched snack.

"So, what did you and Mama do all day today?" Takeshi asked their baby,

"We napped and Mama read me a whole book!"

"Half a book," Daiki said under her breath as she sipped at her bottle.

Takeshi snorted before giving his son a good hug, the boy still beaming in self-created pride.

"Where's Miphy?" Lambi asked, looking around them.

"He's walked off for a bit," Daiki responded gently. "He'll be back- ah, there he is."

Takeshi turned and for a split second caught sight of a white coat weaving between the thin trunks of trees over in the nature strip. Then Daiki let out a whistle and the pup burst out of the undergrowth and came bounding over.

"Welcome back, puppy," Daiki cooed as Mephisto shook himself off before hopping into her lap, chin resting on her thigh. "Did you find anything interesting?"

The pup gave a soft huff in response, tail wagging absently in the background.

Lambo cooed in glee at seeing Mephisto again and reached across the picnic to gently pat the pup's head. The white puppy yawned big and lapped at the baby's hand until Lambo pulled back with a squeal.

Takeshi watched as Daiki smiled, a kind of warm happiness in her expression as she watched her babies play with each other. He couldn't help the heavy thumps in his chest, the cosy feeling in his heart.

This is what he wanted. For himself and his family.

The others were coming tomorrow; she was going to be stressed again. He could call it off? But then she would be constantly on edge. Maybe if he just continued to make moments like this, where she was distracted and happy.

"Takeshi," Daiki called, and he looked up to the call. She smiled at him as she played with Mephisto's paws, using them to lightly bat at Lambo's hands. "You okay there, my love? Zoning out?"

"Yeah, sorry, just thinking," he chuckled, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"'Bout what?"

Takeshi tilted his head and grinned as he chirped, "You!"

"I gathered," she huffed, but he could see the pink burn of her ears. "What about me are you thinking about?"

"How pretty you are."

"Cute, but really."

Takeshi smiled sheepishly and urged Lambo to go and take Mephisto on a run, their baby bolting onto the field with the pup's ball in hand. They watched their baby go before Takeshi let himself be grabbed by his wife and pulled against her side, an arm wrapping around his waist and bringing him close.

"What's up, my love?" She urged, taking one of his hands on her own.

Takeshi glanced off before he sighed and leant his head on her shoulder.

"The guys are coming tomorrow for an explanation. Are you going to be okay?" He asked softly, letting her play with his fingers.

"Hmm," Daiki hummed, "I was wondering when they were coming over. Are Ryohei and Kyoko coming? And what of Chrome and Kyoya?"

"Ryohei and Kyoko are, but I'm not sure about Chrome. I'll ask them," Takeshi murmured.

"I'll be okay, love," she assured, giving him a squeeze. "I should tell them, keep everyone on the same page."

"I just don't want you to be stressed."

Takeshi closed his eyes as his wife hugged him, a soft kiss pressed against his cheek. She cooed his name at him with so much affection and he more than willingly let her tug him into her lap, leaning against her chest.

"Thank you, my love," she whispered to him. "Thank you for looking after me. But I'll be okay, so long as you're with me."

The Rain relaxed in her arms and let himself listen to the swell of her breath within her chest.

"When are they coming?"

"After school, I'll bring them home with me," he answered, playing with the hem of her shirt.

She let out a sigh, "How am I going to do this? It's not easy to explain."

Takeshi let her touch him absently, doing something with her hands while she was absorbed in thought. She massaged along his shoulders and arm, before giving a long breath and wrapping Takeshi in a hug.

"Okay…Do you feel better from this afternoon?"

Takeshi twitched and turned his head to hide his face in her shoulder. He had been hoping she had moved passed that by now, but his wife was too thorough for that.

"Yeah," he hummed. "I feel better. Sorry for scaring you."

"It seemed like you were the scared one, my love," she huffed, cupping his cheek. "You still haven't told me what happened."

Takeshi glanced up at his wife but didn't say anything more. He saw Daiki purse her lips before she rested her cheek on his head, accepting that he wasn't going to confide in her this time.

"I love you, you know. You can talk to me if something's wrong."

"I love you too," he smiled, "And yeah, I'll talk, later. I just want to be happy right now."

Daiki looked down at him for a moment, before she sighed and wrapped him up in a tight hug, the both of them deciding to watch their baby trip over his own feet and fall prey to Mephisto's licking.

|Y.T|

---

I looked up from my workbook as Takeshi flopped into bed. He yawned big and cuddled into his pillow, bundling himself in the blankets like a big caterpillar.

"Ready for bed, huh?"

"Mm, it's so hard concentrating for so long. I get tired," he hummed. "I don't know how you do it."

"Oh, I don't," I chuckled, reaching across to rub his shoulder. "Ryohei and I take turns frying our brains."

Takeshi pouted at me, complaining that none of his friends would do that for him.

"Ryohei and I have been together since kindy," I explained gently, "We've got ourselves in a rhythm, you and your boys have only been friends for a bit more than a year, give it time."

"But by then my brain will be soup!" He whined, "Will you still love me with a soup brain?"

I looked up from my work and turned to him with an amused smile, before the loud, slapping footsteps came down the hall and our door was shoved open. Lambo took up the doorway like some kind of Western standdown, loudly announcing his presence.

"LAMBO-SAN IS HERE!"

"Hey, baby," I cooed, welcoming Lambo as he clambered up onto our bed. He crawled across the blankets before plopping himself between Takeshi and me, legs splayed out. "What're you up to? Come to give Mama a kiss?"

"No," he said quickly, and I shared a surprised look with Takeshi, who pushed himself up on to his elbow and smiled a bit.

"No? But why not?" I asked, faux grief in my voice. "Come give Mama a kiss, baby!"

"No!" Lambo announced and tumbled away when I reached for him. He huffed loudly and faced away from me pointedly, making Takeshi let out a laugh.

"Eh? My baby's not going to kiss me?" I gasped before I glanced at the laughing Takeshi and drawled out, "Well, I guess I'll have my other baby kiss me then, come here."

Takeshi jumped in surprise as I grasped his face and brought him close to me, face going red even as a nervous smile continued to play on his lips. I had never called him 'baby' before, and it was obviously taking some getting used to.

"Will you kiss me, baby?" I asked softly and grinned when my love nodded quickly.

"Yes, Mama," Takeshi laughed and leant forward, only to sputter as two little hands nearly shoved themselves into his mouth as Lambo gave an indignant "No!"

"No! I'm baby! Lambo is baby, not Daddy!" he corrected fiercely, pushing his father's face away.

"Oh? Daddy's not baby, so he can't kiss me? Does that mean baby will give Mama a kiss?" I asked lightly, tugging Lambo across the bed and to my chest where he squirmed and loudly refuted.

"No kisses!"

"Okay, baby, come kiss," I called for Takeshi who quickly came closer. "Kiss, kiss."

"Baby's gonna kiss Mama," Takeshi joked, letting me cup a hand behind his head and draw him closer.

"Nooo!" Lambo cried, covering my mouth and nudging his father away with a foot to the chest. "No!"

"Mama~!" Takeshi called, laughter wrangling the sound. "Mama, baby wants kisses!"

"Oh, my poor baby," I snickered, fighting against Lambo's hands before scooping Takeshi to my chest and cooing down at him, both of us sitting up at this point. "My poor baby, not getting enough kisses."

The Rain smiled gleefully up at me from where he rested against my shoulder, arms wrapping around my waist eagerly. He was having fun teasing our little son.

"Sweet baby, good boy," I soothed playfully, cupping his cheek.

I sputtered as a pillow collided with my face. Lambo stood on the bed with a severe frown, pillow under his arm and hands on his hips.

"No!" he announced again, almost as if scolding us. "Lambo is baby!" he continued, pointing at himself, making sure to get the message across.

"Okay, okay," Takeshi laughed, resting against me as I rubbed my pillow-whipped face. "Bo-kun is baby. I'm Daddy."

"Yes. Good Daddy," Lambo nodded, seemingly satisfied that we finally understood the law of the land as he sat down again.

"Mama still wants kisses, though," I pouted, before jolting as my face was gasped and turned to face Takeshi's cheeky smile.

"Daddy will kiss Mama until she's satisfied," he hummed before planting a warm kiss onto my lips.

I took a sharp breath before relaxing into the touch and smiling happily. Takeshi cooed into the kiss and tangled his hand into my hair before pulling back and lightly pecking my cheek once more.

"Enough?" He asked, and I hummed noncommittally.

"For now."

Lambo huffed loudly and Takeshi brought our son into a hug, letting Lambo lay on his chest as we settled back down.

"Did you just want company?" Takeshi asked, rubbing his back as he squished his soft cheek into his father's chest.

"Yea," Lambo murmured, and I cooed as I brushed his hair from his face.

"Bo-kun was lonely? Oh, I'm sorry, baby," I soothed, and the boy grabbed my hands with his own demandingly, only half the size of my own.

"Well, Mama's doing homework, but Daddy's going to play some games. Wanna watch?" Takeshi smiled as Lambo nodded.

I hummed at them for a moment before going back to working through my workbook, scratching down answers in the boxes as the soundtrack for Takeshi's latest impulse buy started to fill the room.

They were coming tomorrow; I wondered how I was going to go about explaining everything. To everyone. How the hell was I going to phrase it? Break it down to an understandable degree?

I glanced to Takeshi who was sat up on the edge of the bed, Lambo in his lap while the two of them played on the PlayStation console. He grinned as Lambo screamed to watch out for the mosquito monsters, Sly Cooper swinging around the screen.

Could I tell them the truth? Since Mukuro showed up, the concept of past lives wouldn't be too odd but...I don't think they ever really got their heads around that. It was mentioned in passing and when I looked at them, I didn't think they really understood Mukuro's 'past lives' further than different phases of power.

I fiddled with the edge of my page. If I could get in contact with Mukuro, he'd back me up, and Tsuna's Hyper-Intuition would be able to call out if I was lying or not. I had that going for me, and to an extent, I knew that this was unavoidable and that Takeshi would likely stay with me. Ryohei would just yell and then demand a sleepover full of secret spills.

"Takeshi," I called before I even knew why.

Takeshi perked up and turned to the call, Lambo frantically button smashing.

"Hm?" he smiled.

I stared at him for a moment, "I love you, you know that?"

The boy grinned and nodded eagerly, "I love you too."

"I'd like to talk to you about…everything," Takeshi turned more, becoming a bit more sombre. "But not now. Just play with Bo-kun for a while. Relax."

"Before bed?" He asked.

"Yeah, before bed," I nodded.

. . .

Takeshi laid on his side, propped up on his elbow, watching me as I dried my hair in front of the mirror. I needed to reapply my medicines after the shower, so I had just foregone putting on a shirt as I stood in our room. I could see him in the reflection, dark eyes observing and memorising everything.

"Having fun there?" I asked, ruffling my hair a bit before grabbing the hairbrush. "Are you still huffy because I didn't let you shower with me?"

"I like watching you," he hummed, smiling like a cat with cream. "Wait, let me do that."

"Do what- the brush?"

"Mhm," Takeshi took the brush from my hands and urged me to sit on the edge of the bed, perched behind me.

I blinked before relaxing as he started to run the comb through my hair. He hummed at me softly, and I felt my eyes start to droop.

"Your scalp is a good spot for you," Takeshi murmured into my ear and I smiled as I let him untangle any knots.

"Thank you, love," I cooed, "My hair's got longer. Should I cut it soon?"

"If you want to," he hummed, and I felt him tangle his fingertips in my hair. "But I like your hair colour, there should be a lot of it."

I grabbed a piece of my hair and played with it idly, before glancing over my shoulder to look at Takeshi. He smiled when he saw my face and brushing my fringe out of the way.

"I've been thinking about growing it out. Just to see what it would look like."

"You'll be so pretty," he decided, and I couldn't help the happy little kick I felt in my chest.

I took the brush from Takeshi's hand and set it on the tallboy, quickly peeking into the mirror to style my fringe before it set in a weird way itself.

"Cream and bandages time?" He asked, sitting cross-legged on the bed as he watched me move around the room.

"Yeah, bandage time," I agreed, grabbing my little medical basket and coming back to the bed.

Takeshi smiled widely when I looked to him and I snorted suddenly, realising he had abandoned his shirt somewhere on the floor in the time I hadn't looked at him.

"Play first?" Takeshi asked eagerly.

"Not tonight," I denied softly, "I'd like to get ready and then talk to you."

Takeshi shifted but accepted my denial with only a bit of downtrod. He must have seen how nervous I was, however, and as he applied the ointments, he spent more time soothing me than usual. I swore I could taste Rain in the air as he ran his ointment hand across my chest, and I applied some to his own scar as well.

It was working, everyday I could see the scar fading more and more. It made me so happy, and Takeshi visibly liked how I kissed the spot more often now.

Takeshi bandaged me up for the night and I slipped on my shirt, sitting up against the headboard as Takeshi packed away the supplies. He came back, stepping over his shirt on the floor before curling up against my side, head on my shoulder with a satisfied coo.

"You have to let me play a lot tomorrow night," he grumbled as my hand found his hair and began to play with his scalp.

"Hm, I'll think about it."

Takeshi pouted before I popped a kiss on his forehead and sat up a bit more, the boy reluctantly following to sit next to me. I took his hand in my own and idly played with his fingers, needing something to direct the restless energy onto, running my thumb along each individual knuckle and tracing the bed of his nails.

Takeshi waited quietly as I distracted myself, never pushing or prompting. He was always so patient with me.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, before pressing a quick, thankful kiss to his cheek.

"So," I began abruptly, feeling like I had just shoved myself off the face of a cliff. "Do you remember when you all went after Mukuro?"

"Yeah," Takeshi, looking at me attentively. "After he started landing students in the hospital, right?"

"That's right. But you never got to properly meet him, did you?" I breathed, and watched Takeshi's brow pinch before he made a small 'uh huh'.

"You knew about that?" He murmured.

"I was...more than a bit upset," I admitted, pinching his thumb for a moment. "But I came and made sure you were okay after, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. You treated me really well," he smiled, a dusting of pink coming to his cheeks. "But no, I never actually got to meet Mukuro then."

"Right, you stopped after Lanchia-san," I sighed, and he nodded. "Well, you know that Mukuro has that fancy red eye of his right?"

"Yeah, I thought it was a contact, but it changed mid-battle sometimes and I really don't think he'd have the time to swap them out." I blinked at Takeshi for a moment before I gave a rough snort of amusement and got a slap on the arm for my disrespect. "Hey! It's a completely valid conclusion!"

"It is, it is," I agreed, catching his hands again. "Did anyone actually explain to you what Mukuro's eye is all about?"

"Superpowers."

"No."

"You mean yes."

"...Kind of," I relented. "Crash course time, my love. Estraneo Familigia, what do you know?"

"Absolutely nothing," Takeshi said with a smile.

He was trying to be funny, but I couldn't help but feel a welling of concern. He really was going into this blind.

"Remind me to get someone onto teaching you all the details of the Mafia world," I murmured, and he tried to smile more and get me back into the mood from before. "The Estraneo was a Family that was obsessed with a bullet, like the one Reborn uses on Tsuna. They conducted experiments on children, Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa were among them."

Takeshi twitched, and I squeezed his hands.

"What does this have to do with you?" He asked carefully, like he was expecting the worst.

"The result of Mukuro's tests was his eye," I continued patiently, "Six paths of reincarnation. Mukuro remembers and retained six years of life and experience. Do you understand that?"

Takeshi stared at the wall across from us for a moment, just absorbing the information I had fed him. Then he nodded slowly and looked over to me again.

I tried to smile, I really did, but I couldn't help how my grip on him tripled desperately.

"I am...recycled, for a lack of a better explanation. Reused. Like Mukuro, I have memories of places I've never been, of people I've never met. Of people I haven't met yet, as well. I don't know why or how either." I admitted, avoiding his prying eyes. I couldn't handle seeing whatever expression he wore right now. "They're nothing substantial. I couldn't create a whole other person out of them. I remember little things, random snippets. You know how I am, I remember-"

"You remember things that are utterly useless, but incredibly specific," he smiled, always ready to prod my ego. My head snapped up, and I watched Takeshi look back at me with the same unwavering affection. He was unshaken. "Tell me a random fact, Daiki."

"A ranarium is where you raise and care for frogs," I huffed unbelievingly, lips pulling into a weak smile as Takeshi giggled at my immediate response.

"You loved frogs when we were kids," he hummed, "You even had a froggy pen."

"That you stole."

"Lovingly," he insisted before he shuffled closer, our crossed knees touching as he sat directly in front of me. "Tell me more. Tell me more about my Daiki. Are you from a parallel world like the Millefiore? Or from the future? Oooh, future parallel world?!" He gasped eagerly.

Takeshi fixed his hands in my own and started to play with our engagement rings, gazing at me with attentive enrapture. He smiled big when he saw me staring, seeming so happy to be the centre of my focus.

"Your adaptability never ceases to amaze me, Takeshi." The boy tilted his head when I said that. "I'm telling you...unbelievable things And you're just accepting them."

"Because I believe you," he answered simply, "You wouldn't lie to me about this."

"I wouldn't," I agreed vehemently, "I wouldn't lie to you about this. At all. I never want to lie to you."

"Good," he purred, sounding so very satisfied with my response. "So, how close was I in guessing future parallel world?"

I thought about it for a moment before I said with a shrug, "Not too far off, actually. I never met you, but, there were...reports, recordings of Tsuna and the people around him."

"They focused on Tsuna?" He hummed, sounding a bit curious. "I guess that makes sense. But we were all there, right?"

"Yeah, I remember reading about you, and Ryohei, and Kyoko. All of you were in the records."

"But not you," Takeshi uttered, remembering what I had described to him less than a week ago. "Those recordings didn't involve you."

"Well, in those recordings, Yamaguchi Daiki didn't exist," I nearly shrugged, but the pinch in Takeshi's brow made me stop myself. I didn't want to de-validate his hurt. "I'm here now, love."

"I know," he breathed, pressing my knuckles to his lips and letting them rest there as he urged me to talk.

"To me, who I used to be, those recordings weren't important. I read through them on a whim, boredom and curiosity. And as per usual for me, I retained far too much detail," I chuckled a little at the end and felt Takeshi smile against my fingers.

"So that's why you know so much about everyone, and why you know what's coming up? You read the recordings."

"Yeah, and the notes that came with them. It was kind of a rabbit hole, really," I admitted. "I tried to stick to the recordings, like I told you. That didn't work. Ryohei's stubborn as an ox and you hyper fixate like nobody's business."

"You're too pretty to ignore," he huffed, and I snorted.

"A biased opinion, but okay." Takeshi frowned and lightly nipped my index's knuckle for such slander. "But...That's me, I guess. A recycled soul inserted into some reports."

I shrugged a bit, "Kind of anti-climactic, now that I think about it."

Takeshi watched me crack a smile, and he didn't look convinced. He cooed and kissed my fingers again, an affectionate pain in his eyes.

"It's a lot to take in," he said softly, "It's not anticlimactic. It's something that's been...haunting you for a while, right?"

I swallowed thickly and nodded. My throat felt clotted all of a sudden.

"You were scared."

"Yeah."

"Scared for us?"

"Of what I'd do to you," I uttered, throat feeling sore. "Of what I'd take from you, unintentionally. Opportunities lost, bond weakened, strides untaken. I didn't want to take up too much of your room."

"I like you taking up my room," he smiled. "It's warmer that way."

I jolted and Takeshi wrapped me up in a hug that compressed me down to my core. He hummed into my ear as I leant into him, until we toppled back across the bed, the boy grinning as he pulled me down on top of him.

"You know what that means, Daiki," he began, rolling us on our sides, feet kicking the pillows. "You came all this way, and you ended up with me."

"Yeah," I smiled a bit and this time, Takeshi smiled back. "I ended up somewhere that makes me really happy."

"Kiss?"

I nodded and Takeshi shuffled across the bed to give me a soft kiss, to which I responded by giving him an equally soft one on the forehead. His cheeks were flushed the sweetest of pinks as he looked at me from across the sheets, still holding onto my hands, our fingers intertwined between us.

"Tell me everything," he urged, voice all quiet, barely above a whisper. "I want to know everything."

With only a lamp to light the room a dim yellow, and a light shower rapping on the windows, I laid next to Takeshi and told him everything, down to the stupidest, irrelevant detail. As I talked, whispering trivial secrets, I never took my eyes off his face, so that if I was ever used again, if nothing else, I'd remember that lazy smile and sleepy kisses.