He is…bookish.

Kimi sighs, watching the idle sprawl of her son as he reads against the conjoined dragons he takes with him everywhere.

Her lips pinch as she observes them, yellow eyes narrowing in mild annoyance. Literally, he takes them everywhere. A few short hours ago she had yelled at them that they belong outside or in the stables—not in his bedroom.

The beasts sleep with their necks around him, basking in the sun as Sesshoumaru unhurriedly makes his way through the enormous pile of scrolls resting in the crook of their flank. Silver hair, identical to hers and her mate's, is knotted up in a lazy mess atop his head, and she has half a mind to go down there with a comb and rip it through the tangles until it shines and becomes like spun silk like she knows it can.

Tension blooms behind her brow.

He is young. Still her perfect boy. Studious.

She pushes the headache aside and smiles fondly.

Sesshoumaru is still a gangly, long-limbed pup with no motivation for anything his father hopes he will take interest in. And as their child grows older, Touga gets more panicked. He rants more frequently. Kimi watches that far away look take over the brilliant, dark gold of his eyes more often as he spends more time lost in thought on how to communicate with and get through to their son.

He and Sesshoumaru spend a little more time at each other's throats than she would like.

But she also sees what Sesshoumaru doesn't. And that's a father who still stands in his son's doorway at night, watching him sleep and committed to loving him more than he'd ever know.

Arching a brow, her eyes slant back down to the garden.

Touga's also committed to messing with Sesshoumaru more than he'd know.

Barely able to keep from laughing out loud, she watches as Touga—obviously struggling in his own effort to not make a sound—creeps up behind their son and the sleeping dragons.

He spares a glance up at her, an impossibly wide smile flashing glistening fangs, and she shakes her head, her own smile broadening at her mate's antics. Sesshoumaru is completely oblivious, his nose still stuck in a scroll as A-Un snore softly around him.

She knows what's coming.

Crawling up over the dragons' back, Touga manages to creep a couple feet from the idle youth's ear, takes deep, silent breath, and then shouts at the top of his lungs.

Sesshoumaru yelps, his changing voice cracking with the effort as his arms and legs fly wildly in different directions.

Parchment flies everywhere.

Touga finishes sliding down the dragons—who are unmoved by behavior they have come to expect—and almost lands on a still recovering Sesshoumaru.

The Great General's laughter booms through the household while his son glares at him.

Kimi can only cover her mouth and hope Sesshoumaru doesn't hear her mirth.