A Thoughtful Wish

"Happy birthday, Kyoko!" Maria waved at the camera with a grin as their conversation wrapped up for the night, though it was barely past noon in Japan. "Try not to have too much fun without me."

Kyoko managed a smile and reciprocated her wave. "Enjoy the last few hours of yours, Maria. We'll talk in the New Year, okay?"

Maria was older now; it was hard to believe some days. The small girl had grown into a young woman before Kyoko knew it. Long gone were the days of Happy Grateful Parties to celebrate their birthdays. Now Maria studied writing in America while living with her father and Kyoko... was older. Acting still, but with fewer chances for the parties and whimsy of her youth.

"You'll be the first one I call!" She frowned and counted on her fingers, mouthing names. She looked back to the camera with a sheepish grin. "I mean, after..."

"Call me when you have time," Kyoko interrupted, feeling bad for saying anything. She wasn't Maria's family, not really. And she was sure Maria was busy these days. Even if there used to be a time Maria would consider her a sister. "I'm at your leisure. Focus on school and your family."

"You're practically family," Maria said. Which meant Kyoko was family. Except not. "Tell Kuon that I said 'hi'!"

"I will."

She closed the chat window and leaned back from the desk. This was the first time Kyoko talked to Maria in months and seeing her smiling face was usually enough to make her day. Except, her day started with a lovely breakfast Kuon ordered made-with minimal burning-and her manager had negotiated a whole week off to celebrate after working through her birthday and New Year's last year. And now the thought of sitting in her apartment for a week with only Kuon to distract her was the worst thought in the entire world. Was it too late for her to ask to come back to work a few days earlier than expected? She'd even do interviews and variety shows if she needed to.

"Maria's all grown up."

Kyoko jumped, whipping around in her chair to find Kuon leaning against the doorframe. "Don't sneak up on me!" She pouted and faced her husband, who was doubled over in laughter. "It's not funny! It's not-" Her breath caught in her throat and tears burned the corners of her eyes. She didn't appreciate being laughed at today. "I know she's not... I feel like I've lost a sister or a..."

She squeezed her eyes shut. She was being silly and she knew it; today was her birthday and Kuon put so much effort into making her morning special. It's a good thing Maria's grown up and doesn't rely on her anymore. It's supposed to be a good thing.

"Oh, darling." Kuon's laughter subsided into a more careful, contemplative look. He crossed the room and knelt in front of Kyoko, taking her hands. "I thought you said you didn't want-" he said softly. "You know."

"I didn't! I don-I mean..." Kyoko pulled her hands away from Kuon and held her face. "I thought that being there for everybody would be enough. That I could help Maria. I could help... everybody else. That I wouldn't need to burden anyone else with my insecurities." She hiccuped, the tears streaming freely down her face now. "But on days like this..."

"You wonder if we made the right choice?"

His question hung in the air and Kyoko's cries only grew louder. She nodded furiously, curling into herself. Kuon hummed and stood to pull her into his arms. He rubbed her back as he carried her out of the office into their bedroom, letting her down onto their bed.

"You know, you're allowed to change your mind." His face flushed. "I mean... hypothetically speaking if you wanted to, I mean. It's not like it's out of the question."

She wiped her eyes and stared at him. When they first married and had this conversation, they agreed children were not in their future. Kuon had no interest in duplicating his parents' errors, no matter how innocuous their intentions and Kyoko still nursed her scars some days. "Are you serious?"

"I learned a long time ago not to joke about these types of things with you," Kuon said, sitting beside her. He looked at his hands, smiling gently. "I've been thinking about it, too. For a long time now, maybe. And... if you agree... that maybe we can try..." Kyoko blushed which only made him blush even more. "If that's where the conversation was headed, I mean," he corrected. "If you meant something else then you can ignore everything I've said-"

"Are you-" Kyoko's eyes glistened. Now she was crying all over again. She reached for Kuon's arms and clung to him like he was the only thing keeping her afloat. An unfamiliar excitement filled her body and she didn't know if she should entertain such a ludicrous thought. Oh, but boy did she want to. "Do you really think we could?"

"I actually think it would make quite a few people happy," Kuon said with a laugh. "And I'm ready to go down this road with you if you're ready for the journey."

Kuon's statement spun through her head, pulling the gears of her muscles until the only thing she knew how to do was smile. "Of course," she yelled, jumping into his arms and wrapping him in a hug. "I want to try!"

He fell back into the bed and held Kyoko tight, happy to see her so delighted. Like a weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders. "So, we're in agreement?"

She grinned, nodding as she leaned down to seal her vow with a kiss. "Kuon... Let's make a baby."

~ FIN ~

A/N: Many thanks to Raine for conceptualizing this Mini!Bang! And thanks to Yam, too, for collecting on the ffnet side of things.

Happy New Year, dear readers! Stay safe and healthy as we come into 2022! :)