Hiroki was about to have a nervous breakdown.
"Mom, let me-"
"No, dear. I'll make it. Just sit back and relax."
Losing it.
"Dad, I'll-"
"Listen to your mother and just rest, son. I'll change her diaper for you."
Lost it.
Hiroki flopped back down onto the couch, pouting as he scowled at the fireplace. He sat back and watched absentmindedly as the mound of books beside him on the couch cushion collapsed, several of them sliding into his lap. Meanwhile, his parents flitted around him, wiping down surfaces, changing diapers, and making him tea.
Sure, he had appreciated the care when it had initially began three weeks ago, especially the 'regaining hours upon hours of sleep' part, but now it was just overwhelming. He hadn't even held his lovely little daughter for at least two hours, an element of his parents' love and care that he found to be completely unacceptable.
And so, Hiroki sat, waiting for Fuyumi's feeding time, the only time he alone could have her in his arms. He sadly picked up a book from his pile, frowning at the title.
Love You Forever
He had wanted to read the book to Fuyumi, but he hadn't had the chance to. Not with his parents hogging her every second of every day. He absolutely hated it.
Yet he couldn't bring himself to say anything. His parents were ecstatic about their new granddaughter, and they had already fallen deeply in love with her, to the point where she was almost like their own daughter.
Almost like their own daughter.
Hiroki pinched his lips together. Recently, he had begun to feel a lot like Fuyumi's big brother rather than her papa, what with his parents caring for Fuyumi differently than he did. And, oh, how infuriating it was when his mother gave him advice for feeding Fuyumi when it was obviously his turn to hold her. His way of feeding Fuyumi was completely acceptable. She was a damn baby, not an experiment in rocket science. Hiroki highly doubted that switching arms from time to time would help Fuyumi drink faster. As if he'd want her to drink faster if it was the only time that he was able to-
No, no. Couldn't get worked up. After all, his parents were only trying to help. Getting frustrated for free house cleaning service? No way.
Hiroki saw Masanori pass with Fuyumi in a new diaper and a little- what the fuck was that? A new outfit? A teeny sky blue dress with a cute little smiley-face flower embroidered on the front?
Hiroki clenched his fists. When the fuck would it be his turn?
"Here's your tea, Hiro-chan," Tomoko said suddenly, breaking Hiroki out of his angered trance. He blinked his scowl away before turning to his mother.
"Thanks, mom," Hiroki said politely, smiling up at Tomoko. She smiled gently back down at him and stooped to brush his bangs back and kiss his forehead.
"I love you, honey," Tomoko cooed. Hiroki shut his eyes and nuzzled his mother affectionately in a silent return of her love.
These moments of love and adoration between him and his parents brought on a whole new topic of concern. He couldn't just kick out such sweet people. He couldn't take away from their time with holding Fuyumi. They weren't doing anything wrong, making Hiroki feel guilty about getting so angry with them.
Where the hell was Nowaki when he needed his polite way of turning people down? Lately, his idiot fiancé had been so busy with the hospital that video chat sessions came few and far between. On top of that, they were usually short-lived, as Nowaki was either about to go into work or about to go to bed whenever they had a chance to talk.
Damn the time difference!
But Hiroki sensed something other than Nowaki's business keeping him away from the video chat program. Sometimes, Nowaki almost seemed anxious to get offline. Perhaps… he was hiding another man?
Or… a woman?
Hiroki's blood ran cold, and he moved to stand up and get his phone off the charger in the kitchen, but he paused as his father walked in from the kitchen with Fuyumi in the crook of one arm.
He was feeding her.
Hiroki stared at his daughter's contentedly closed eyes, then flicked his gaze back to his father.
"Hiro-chan?" Tomoko asked. Hiroki blinked and shook his head to rid of the jealousy throbbing through his body.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Um, I'm going to go out for a while with my friend," Hiroki said, standing abruptly. He turned to his parents. "Is that alright?"
"Of course, baby. We'll take care of everything here," Tomoko said. Hiroki clenched his fists to quell the burning blood roaring through his veins.
"Can I take Fuyumi with me? My friend has a baby around her age, so-"
"Hiro-chan, it's a bad idea to take a baby out of a familiar environment! It really affects the development process, you know?" Tomoko said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I should know, it worked very well when I was raising you."
Hiroki suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.
"Yeah. Thanks for the advice, Mom. You're right. I'll leave, then."
Hiroki went to his father, pausing in front of Fuyumi and waiting irritably for his mother to tell him that kissing Fuyumi was wrong. However, he heard no opposition, and he dipped his head to press a loving kiss to Fuyumi's forehead. As if sensing her papa, she whimpered into her bottle with longing and arched her back in Masanori's arms ever so slightly.
He left the house and stomped through the soggy grass towards Miyagi's and Shinobu's house. Now in early March, Sweden was thawing from its rather short winter. Hiroki definitely thought that lush greens suited Sweden more than off-white, slushy, muddy snow. Hiroki ducked in between the pine trees that made up the invisible fence between his and Shinobu's house. Marching up to the door, Hiroki frowned at the decorative stone that sat beside the door that read:
Yōh and Shinobu Miyagi-Takatsuki
Hiroki exhaled through his nose as he stepped up the small steps to the door and reached up to knock on the wooden surface. They weren't married yet, but…
"Kamijou!" Shinobu cried when the door swung open. Hiroki scarcely had time to greet his little friend before Shinobu wrapped his arms around Hiroki's middle and squeezed. "It's so nice to see you!"
"Yeah," Hiroki said fondly, awkwardly reaching up to pat Shinobu on the top of the head. Shinobu then sharply turned his head back towards the house.
"Baka-Yōh! Kamijou is here; get your fat ass out here!"
Hiroki's eyelids lowered in exasperation as he blew a stray hair out of his face. Three, two, one-
"I'm coming, jeez! Stop naggin' so much, you hag!" came the reply of Miyagi, his voice slightly muffled by the deepness of the interior of the house. Shinobu sighed loudly.
"Come in, Kamijou. Sorry, but please take off your shoes out here," Shinobu said, gesturing to Hiroki's mud-caked shoes.
"Sure," Hiroki said, slipping out of his shoes and skillfully stepping into the house to avoid getting his socks wet or muddy. Shinobu closed the door behind him and led him into the house.
Shinobu and Miyagi's house was set at a bit of a darker tone than Hiroki's house- a lot of browns and tans made up the colors of the walls. The entrance hall led to both the living room and the kitchen, unlike Hiroki's, which only led to the kitchen. Their kitchen was more stylishly outdated than Hiroki's, with mahogany cupboards and a wood floor. An ornate dining table sat in the center with a simple four-light chandelier that hung over it.
In the living room, Miyagi was on the floor directly in front of the couch. He was laughing at Eiji, who was thumping his fists on the floor as Miyagi danced a stuffed butterfly with crinkly wings above his face.
"I thought you said you were coming," Shinobu said coldly.
"Kamijou sees us every week, Shinobu-chin. And he's coming in anyway, so who cares if he doesn't see me for another few seconds or so?" Miyagi countered quickly. Shinobu puffed his cheeks out at his fiancé.
"Jesus, if you two aren't the most idiotic old married couple around, I don't know who is," Hiroki said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.
"Don't blame me, Shinobu's the brat."
"Shut your mouth, Yōh!" Shinobu snapped. Miyagi turned towards him, and Shinobu glowered down at him for a few moments. Without prompt, Shinobu took a step forward and stooped down to kiss Miyagi's forehead, then moved lower to peck a few times at his lips. Hiroki pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. These idiots…
"Mmm," Miyagi hummed as he craned his neck for one more kiss. When Shinobu pulled away, he sat down on the couch behind Miyagi and allowed his fiancé to lean back between his legs. Shinobu absentmindedly massaged Miyagi's scalp and the sides of his head.
"So, what brings you here, Kamijou?" Shinobu asked, grinning up at the godpapa of his son. Hiroki glanced down at Eiji, who was reaching out for the butterfly toy and cooing in interest.
"I want to borrow your baby," Hiroki sighed. Miyagi and Shinobu both turned to stare at him, blinking in confusion. "My parents are hogging mine."
Miyagi laughed as Shinobu smiled at him sympathetically.
"Still? Do you know when they're leaving?" Shinobu asked.
"I don't know… they made it sound like they were staying until Nowaki comes to Sweden. But that's not for another month and a half!"
"Oh, that's too bad. Can't you just tell them to stop?"
Hiroki sighed.
"No… because they're my parents, you know? It'd break my mom's heart. I came over here to take a break from it all."
And Hiroki did just that, talking with Miyagi and Shinobu. He complained to his heart's content, explaining all of the advice his mother forced on him, and all of things his father did for him. Miyagi and Shinobu listened with utmost care, giving Hiroki advice every once and a while to cheer him up.
When Hiroki finished his visit, he left, thanking Shinobu and Miyagi for their care.
His relief was short-lived, however, when he walked into his house and saw Tomoko sitting on the couch with Fuyumi in her lap and a book in her hands. A certain book that Hiroki exclusively wanted to read to Fuyumi.
Love You Forever.
