everything the ice bites
SIX
It doesn't take long for Hina to fall asleep. Once she's out, she won't wake up until the next day.
Still, as a precaution, Toushirou takes his daughter into his arms, rocking her gently in case she stirs.
Werner observes him silently, his expression unreadable.
"She's more idiotic than I thought," Maria drawls, an obvious attempt to provoke him. It's something she never tires of, trying to goad a reaction out of him, to see if her words can wound. "That wife of yours."
"You play your part well," Werner acknowledges, his tone evenly measured, paying no mind to Maria. He pauses, deliberates, and then speaks. "I hadn't expected that."
Is it really that much of a surprise?
Maybe it is.
For all of Karin's attempts to get 'his' side of the family to spend time together with their daughter, Toushirou is just as good at preventing it from happening.
No matter. Unless it was a necessity, Toushirou saw no reason to involve himself with the Vorarlbernas. He pretended to be their son, and they pretended to be his parents, but that was the terms of the contract they had agreed upon.
He can play the dutiful son. He can play the understanding husband. Even for the only two people in the world who know who he really is, who's to say that he can't play a role at this very moment?
The doting father, perhaps?
"Karin and I," Toushirou decides, upturning the corners of his mouth for effect, "we're perfect for each other."
"What?"
That confuses Maria, and Toushirou waits patiently, letting her make sense of his words.
"Someone with a past like yours and someone who works in a police force… are perfect for each other?" Maria repeats slowly, processing, and then, once she understands, bursts into laughter.
It's a sound that fills the room, and doesn't subside for a long time.
Idly, Toushirou glances at Hina, and still, she sleeps, her dreams undisturbed.
"My goodness, you can make an actual joke now! I thought this day would never come!" Maria says, amazement in her eyes. She brushes away blonde strands of hair behind her ear, and a sardonic smile spreads across her face. If he didn't know better, Maria almost looks proud of him. "It seems that having an idiotic wife has done you some good after all."
Toushirou smiles back meaninglessly in response, and Maria can read into his action as whatever she'd like.
"Enough," Werner says again, this time not needing a glass to silence them. He glances aside at Maria before turning to stare intently at Toushirou. "I expect you to answer my question honestly. It is of the utmost importance that you do so — now that you've had a child, do you care for her?"
Her, as in Hina?
Her, as in Karin?
Toushirou considers the question seriously, before realizing his mistake.
Do you care for either of them — that's not what Werner is really asking.
Werner already knows the answer to that.
Still thinking how to reply, Toushirou tucks Hina's head under his chin.
"Karin only believes in what she sees," Toushirou says, eventually. The truth is stark and simple and easy to admit. "I'm someone who shows her exactly what she wants to see."
Both Werner and Maria stay still, watching, waiting.
"For that reason, Karin doesn't suspect a thing," Toushirou informs them. He doesn't intend to shatter that illusion, the safety it has given him all these years. "So, there's no need to worry."
With that, it becomes clear that their evening together has come to an end.