"Mom!" Hiroki cried. Tomoko snapped her gaze up towards Hiroki, startled, and Fuyumi jumped, her pacifier dropping out of her mouth. Tomoko put the book down and stood, comforting a whimpering Fuyumi with not-so-little bounces.

That's not how you bounce Fuyumi!

"What is it, Hiro-chan?" his mother asked frantically, her eyelids batting with innocence. A moment later, Masanori rushed in from the bedroom, a towel wrapped up in his hair to keep it pulled back. Hiroki stood in the archway of the kitchen, his fists clenched and his teeth gnashing.

"I was supposed to read that book to her!" Hiroki snarled, pointing at the book that sat on the coffee table. Then, he turned accusingly towards his father. "And I was supposed to feed her a little while ago!"

"H-Hiro-chan, I didn't-" Tomoko began shakily. Hiroki's livid gaze snapped to his mother, and he stomped forward to snatch Fuyumi from her, who had begun to wail.

"That's not how you comfort her!" Hiroki bark-hissed, rearranging Fuyumi in his arms so she was nestled just right against her papa's body. Fuyumi began to quiet, and she whined as she pulled on the fold of Hiroki's shirt.

"Hiroki, don't you talk to your mother like that, she's trying very hard," Masanori said warningly as Tomoko covered her mouth with her hands. Hiroki took a few steps away from Tomoko and stroked Fuyumi's hair possessively.

"You two have overstayed your welcome," Hiroki growled. "I'm forgetting what it's like to hold Fuyumi. You guys claim to be helping and letting me relax, but it's been three weeks. I've caught up with all of my sleep. I've caught up with all of my books. So now, I'd like it if I could hold my baby and bond with her as much as possible. And mom…"

Tomoko, who looked like she was on the verge of tears, cringed as Hiroki glowered at her.

"You are not a fucking expert at raising a kid. You haven't done it in thirty God damn years. I really think that, if Fuyumi isn't dead, then I must have been doing something right. So I'm going to keep on sleeping in the same room with her, because she's not going to run out of oxygen and die of SIDS just because I'm breathing the same air as her. I'm going to take Fuyumi out of the house whenever I fuckingplease, because she likes the fresh air and loves going to Shinobu's house and being with Eiji. And, Jesus have mercy on my soul, if you ever… ever question my parenting ability again, I will never let you hold her again!"

Hiroki's shoulders hunched as he stared down his mother, who had promptly burst into tears and had begun to weep into her hands. His father, meanwhile, stared at his son like he was some sort of monster. Hiroki straightened, realizing what he had done, and his cold eyes softened. Masanori rushed to Tomoko and steadied her wavering body by the shoulders.

"Hiroki, your mother and I were just trying to help!" Masanori said angrily. Hiroki sputtered.

"I-I… I didn't mean-" he began.

"Why didn't you say anything if it was bothering you?" his father questioned again, furrowing his chestnut brows. "We've been new parents, too, Hiroki. We know what it's like to have people all around us giving us unwanted advice. We thought you enjoyed our help, so we helped you as much as we could. How were we supposed to know, huh?"

Hiroki frowned in guilt and gazed down at the floor under the intimidating glare of his father.

"I'm-"

"Look, son. We're your parents. We're not just friends or acquaintances, we're your family. We understand your anger, your habit of bottling things up, everything. We understand all of that because we're your mom and dad. It makes me sad that we have had so little influence in your life for such a long time that you've forgotten what it's like to have someone besides Nowaki who completely understands how your mind works. Hiroki, we did all of this because we love you, not because we're trying to take over your life as a new parent. If you had told us that we were going overboard, then we would've been completely fine with it. We would've understood."

Fuyumi blinked in confusing as a tear hit her cheek. Hiroki bowed his head in shame, sniffling quietly. By then, Tomoko had calmed down enough under the comforting touch of her husband, and she took a step forward to caress Hiroki's cheek and bring his contorted face up to look her in the eye.

"Honey, we were just trying to help. We just love you so, so much, Hiro-chan."

Tomoko wiped Hiroki's tears with gentle thumbs.

"I never thought that you were a bad parent, I just wanted to show you what I did to raise you in case you didn't know what to do in certain situations. I didn't mean to smother you or make it seem like I was being condescending. I know you're a good papa, because Fuyumi is so healthy, energetic, and happy. You're doing to good job, dear. You are a wonderful parent."

Hiroki hadn't known how much he had been longing to hear those words out of his mother, and he squeezed his eyes shut and let more tears dribble down his face. Tomoko brought him into her arms and soothingly rubbed his back, craning her neck to kiss his jaw line. Hiroki willingly stooped his head to kiss his mother back.

"I'm really sorry," Hiroki apologized. "Really, really sorry."

Tomoko released Hiroki and smiled up at him.

"It's okay, honey. I'll love you forever."

Hiroki grimaced.

"Hey… haha, that's the… that's like that book," he said, pointing to the Love You Forever book sitting on the coffee table. Tomoko grinned.

"I hadn't started reading it out loud yet. Why don't you read it to Fuyumi, and you show us how to hold her properly," his mother offered, leading Hiroki to his arm chair. She sat him down and handed him the book.

"Um… okay," Hiroki said slowly, blushing slightly. His parents sat down on the adjacent couch after Masanori handed Fuyumi's pacifier to his son, who took it gratefully. He eased the pacifier into Fuyumi's mouth and laid her against him, her body supported by his stomach. He secured her into his hold with an arm on either side of her, and he held the book open so she could see the pictures.

"A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be."

Hiroki paused to make sure Fuyumi was comfortable. She was staring with wide eyes at the picture, flapping her arms slightly as she suckled fervently at her pacifier. Hiroki continued, turning the page.

"The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, "this kid is driving me CRAZY!"

But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be."

Hiroki smiled gently as Fuyumi reached out to try and grasp the two-year-old in the picture, her fist opening and closing against the page.

"The little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was nine years old. And he never wanted to come in for dinner, he never wanted to take a bath, and when grandma visited he always said bad words. Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!

But at night time, when he was asleep, the mother quietly opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be."

Tomoko giggled at the 'when grandma visited he always said bad words' part, and Hiroki glanced at her with a grin.

"The boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a teenager. He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music. Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!

But at night time, when that teenager was asleep, the mother opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

That teenager grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a grown-up man. He left home and got a house across town. But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town. If all the lights in her son's house were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed. If that great big man was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be."

Hiroki, now intrigued with the book, turned the page too fast, and Fuyumi whined in protest. He laughed softly and turned the page back for Fuyumi to try and grab at it.

"Well, that mother, she got older. She got older and older and older. One day she called up her son and said, "You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick." So her son came to see her. When he came in the door she tried to sing the song. She sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always...

But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick. The son went to his mother. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And he sang this song:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my Mommy you'll be."

Hiroki paused slightly at the final line, pinching his lips together as his voice got gravelly. He looked down in embarrassment, hiding his glossy eyes with a curtain of hair.

"Um…" he began, clearing his throat and turning the page with shaking fingers.

"When the son came home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping. He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while he rocked her he sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be."

Hiroki's lip trembled and he sniffled slightly, stooping his head down low to kiss a very oblivious Fuyumi on the top of the head. She seemed to understand the presence of another baby in the picture, and she patted the picture of the father holding his daughter.

"So adorable," Tomoko cooed. Hiroki looked up, smiling through his tears. However, his blood ran cold as he saw the familiar device in his mother's hands.

"Mom!" he exclaimed, hurriedly putting the book down and earning a protesting whimper from Fuyumi. "H-How long have you had the video camera?"

"A grandmother without a video camera? Please, Hiro-chan. Don't underestimate me. I found it on your dresser, and I thought I'd put it on film so Nowaki-chan can watch it when he comes to Sweden," Tomoko said proudly. Hiroki's eyes widened.

"Mom, are you crazy? That camera sends videos to Nowaki via live feed!" Hiroki cried, blushing furiously.

"What's live feed?" she asked innocently.

"Turn off the camera!"


Later that night, Nowaki tiredly stumbled into his bedroom, yawning as he slipped out of his medical coat. He glanced at his laptop.

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