Bathtime
Summary: "Your Dad used to be a good swimmer back in the day... maybe you can be too? Who wants to outrun a Seadramon?"
A/N: I had planned this for a long time. Takes place after Sora and Yamato have Hanako in the headcanon, but before Tsukuyomi is born. Also, I totally forgot how much I love to write at McDonald's!
Warnings: Implied abuse, if you squint. Pairings: Sorato
The little bundle cooed in his hands, her curious fingers reaching out to explore the mysterious liquid substance now enveloping her small form in the kitchen sink.
"Water's fun isn't it? Your Dad used to be a good swimmer back in the day... maybe you can be too? Who wants to outrun a Seadramon? You?" Blue eyes sparkled into ones that matched his own as he laughed and he realized how loud it was in the empty apartment. It had been so long since he laughed, too, that the sound scared him a bit. "Well, maybe I wouldn't be that good at swimming anymore..." the blonde said with a raspy cough to follow. An ashtray lay hidden under the sink, in the cabinet.
"I would still save you, even if you turn out to be a big a dick as your Uncle Takeru, though," Yamato smiled. "Also, you should see how water acts in space! A giant liquid sphere and-"
The baby let out an annoyed gurgle and Yamato frowned, his eyes narrowing playfully. "Fine, guess you don't want to listen to my lost dreams, either. You're stubborn you know. Like your mother."
The baby eyed him curiously and the father contemplated how much she truly understood of what he did say. All he knew was that it was so much better than silence. Yamato hated silence. He even started to hum as he reached for a cloth with the hand that wasn't balancing his baby girl, dipping it into the water and lifting it out.
"You're a messy eater, like your Grand Dad, so I guess you do take more than your looks from my side of the family, too."
The baby giggled and splashed in response. "I'm glad someone listens to me... sorry you have to be my personal shrink, Hana-chan."
Yamato held his smile as he finished bathing her, wondering what she was thinking about as the world around her suddenly began to grow clearer and wider. She had such an infinite future, compared to his own, dead one. If he held onto that, everything would be worth it.
The smile then faded at the sound of the lock moving at the nearby door. He saw a flash of red hair and a coat as his wife hopped inside from the cold. She started to slip it off and hang it in the nearby closet.
"Sora, you're back from the shop?"
"They can handle things," she replied. Her tone was dry. "... why do you sound so surprised?"
"I'm... not?" the husband started. "You're early, is all."
At this, Sora turned to him. Her beautiful apple colored eyes scanned him and narrowed, her lashes hiding any gleam of humanity beneath them. She moved from Yamato to the rest of the kitchen, as if looking for something. She noted the toddler's dirty clothes in the basket by the washroom and the high chair covered in strained... vegetables of some sort. Finally, she returned to her husband and the baby splashing happily in the sink. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, one hand sliding up her side to her lips. She swayed over [between] them and scooped the child in her arms.
"She's a messy eater. She needed a bath."
"She'll just get dirty again."
"But you do it all the ti-"
"Hanako, sweetie..." Sora equally cooed, bringing the child to her shoulder, covering her bare bottom with the crook of her arm. She turned away, making Yamato strain his neck to see either of their faces. "It's okay. I'm here."
Yamato didn't get a chance to speak, or rather, he couldn't. Sora had been like this a long time and it seemed every day it just got worse. He didn't want to say anything wrong and avoided pressing her, because when he did, the two's tempers flared and he would rather lose an argument than fight in front of their newborn. Sora took Hanako to her room down the hall, going on about what the child might want to wear.
Sora is so particular about these things... I wasn't going to leave Hana-chan in dirty clothes... Yamato reasoned, pulling the plug on the sink. His heavy, sleepless eyes watched the water drain, twirl into the black hole. Long after the gurgling sound of the pipes faded, he continued to stare into that abyss.