The Troubles with Cat-Sitting
Hej! Just another chapter for you:) Enjoy the tooth-rotting fluff that is of Ikuto and Amu!!
...
December 8th: The Next Day
"It's snowing quite a lot today; please be sure to drive carefully on the roads as icy conditions are to be expected. It'll also be very chilly today as the temperature plummets far below the average so wear your winter jackets and mittens to keep from getting hypothermia! "
"Thank you, Tamaki for the weather updates! As the New Year is approaching, be sure to visit the Shrines to pay your respects and luck for the next year. Also, many T-Mart's are starting to prepare for the Christmas holiday, with trees and decorations on sale now through December 31st; the annual toy sale will also begin today so go to your nearest T-Mart to get the latest in popular children's toys!"
"Thank you for that, Yori! I know my kids can't wait for their presents this year! "
CLICK... and the T.V went silent.
... ...
Amu Pov:
The morning sun never felt so bright as it peaked through the off-white curtains on the two windows in the guest room. Tsukasa had insisted that Amu stay at the Tsukiyomi residence for the night to avoid any complications getting to her house due to the hazardous roads. Since it had been a Saturday, Amu felt much more at ease and quickly phoned her mom to explain the situation.
As she started to stretch her arms above her pink hair, Amu peaked over towards the little black bowl on the dresser where her four Shugo Charas, alongside Yoru were sleeping soundly in their eggs. Not wanting to wake them up, Amu quietly got out of the bed and shuffled down the hall to the bathroom to wash up. The small digital clock that sat on the countertop nearest the sink read 7:00 AM as Amu quickly grabbed a washcloth and rinsed her face; unfortunately she hasn't packed to stay the night so she didn't have her usual belongings, however her house wasn't too far away and surely the sun would heat up the icy wonderland that is of Tokyo right now.
Tsukasa was able to find a spare toothbrush for Amu to borrow as well as some pajamas (most likely having belonged to Utau when she was Amu's age). Finishing up in the bathroom, Amu quickly redressed herself and walked towards Ikuto's bedroom to see if he was awake.
As the door slowly creaked open, the room was dark save only for the little nightlight's luminous glow bouncing off the side wall. A quiet snore could be heard as Amu walked over to the crib and peaked at a sleeping Ikuto, who was sucking on his pacifier and turned to his side; Amu fixed his blanket, which had fallen off his figure from the night before and pulled it over his shoulders. She smiled sweetly, looking down at her friend with content and satisfaction.
...
Walking downstairs, Amu noticed the t.v was turned on and Tsukasa sitting on the couch, drinking a cup of coffee. The weather channel flickered as multiple pictures and graphs were displayed.
"Good morning, Tsukasa! " Amu politely said as she sat next to the man on the couch.
"Good morning, Amu. Did you sleep well?" Tsukasa asked as he turned his attention to Amu whilst setting his cup down on the coffee table.
"I did! It was chilly last night but I'm glad there was an extra blanket; I just checked on Ikuto and he's still sleeping."
"That's good! He doesn't need to wake up just yet; I don't have any set plans for us today besides cleaning and laundry so it's fine that Ikuto sleeps in" Tsukasa shared.
Amu turned her head towards the kitchen as she smelled a sweet aroma coming from the wooden dining table. A beautiful display of three tall drinking glasses sat next to a pitcher of orange juice alongside two white plates with eggs, bacon and toast placed on top of a set of matching placemats were present; the high chair was at the head of the table with an already prepared bowl of steaming oatmeal and a bottle of milk set nearby where some jam jars were at too.
"Did you make breakfast, Tsukasa?"
"Yes! I wake up quite early in the morning so I had time to prepare for breakfast today; I figured we all eat together once Ikuto is up."
As Tsukasa finished talking, the baby monitor started to present a muffling, crying sound coming from Ikuto's bedroom. Amu and Tsukasa shared a sigh together as they went upstairs.
...
Turning the bedroom light on, the room's soft yellow glow filled the space as Amu went to pull the curtain shades away, allowing for the sun's natural gleam to brighten the room. Tsukasa was busy pulling the crib bars down to get Ikuto out of the crib safely.
"Good morning, Ikuto! How are you doing buddy?" Tsukasa kindly asked the teenager as he picked up Ikuto and carried him towards what Amu now identified to be a changing table. It was larger than average size, seemingly handmade or custom to accommodate for Ikuto to lie down on without the entirety of his legs dangling over the edge. There was a baby mobile hanging right above where Ikuto's head would be, with four soft plushies of different colored cats dangling to the sound of a common lullaby once the button would be pressed; the cats would circle counterclockwise to the music and were in arms reach for Ikuto to play with.
Tsukasa laid Ikuto down on the plush foam mat attached to the table and buckled the boy in with a black, velvet seat buckle that reached across Ikuto's stomach. Tsukasa lifted Ikuto's pajama shirt and lightly tickled Ikuto's stomach, earning a small smile and fit of giggles from Ikuto.
"I'm glad you're in a good mood this morning, Ikuto! Now let's go ahead and change you, then we can go have some breakfast." Tsukasa happily said as he started to take off Ikuto's bottoms and put them in the dirty clothing hamper near the table. Tsukasa turned towards Amu as she had moved to the corner of the room nearest the door, unsure of what she should do next.
"Amu, can you go into the closet and grab some clothes for Ikuto, please?"
Amu immediately complied and shuffled to the closet to find some clothes as Tsukasa continued to change Ikuto. Once he had put a clean diaper on, Tsukasa turned the mobile for Ikuto to play with as he took the boy's pajama shirt off and threw it into the hamper. Once Amu was able to acquire some clothes, the two helped dress Ikuto and brought him downstairs.
As Amu started to set the table, Tsukasa put Ikuto into the high chair and went to get another cup of coffee before joining the two kids for breakfast.
"You mentioned that there is cleaning that needs to be done, right? Is there anything I can do to help you, Tsukasa?" Amu asked politely as she watched the blonde-haired man feed Ikuto his oatmeal.
"If you're able to watch over Ikuto, that would be helpful! That way I can get the chores done faster; maybe we can even go out today if the weather permits." Tsukasa added as he guided the spoon to Ikuto's mouth, making sure that the majority of the warm oatmeal got into the boy's mouth instead of his bib (Ikuto had a peculiar habit of spitting his food out).
"Ok, I can do that! I already finished my homework so I can just play with Ikuto until you're done." Amu said as she took a bite of her toast with some blueberry spread.
By then, the Shugo charas had woken up and joined the trio as breakfast ended and Tsukasa set to start cleaning as Amu and Ikuto played in the living room.
The flurries of white snow trickled down onto the ground as the sun continued to shine in the bright, blue December sky.
...
"PEEK A BOO!"
Amu giggled as she covered her eyes once more with her hands, pretending to not see her blue hair companion laughing under her; after breakfast, Amu brought Ikuto to the living room and set him on his play mat whilst she turned the tv channel to a kids show. However, Amu decided that now was the time to spend her day off enjoying her babysitting tasks with Ikuto. Ran, Miki, Suu and Yoru were asked to assist Tsukasa with the household chores.
Ikuto laughed and clapped his hands together as Amu continued her game of PEEK A BOO.
"Tickle tickle, I got you Ikuto!" Amu laughed out loud as she poked at Ikuto's sides, earning a rolling fit of laughter from the boy. Unbeknownst to Amu, Tsukasa was watching from the distance with a huge grin on his face.
"Those two- the humpty lock and dumpty key have never been as close as they are now. Let's see how this story unfolds now, shall we?" Tsukasa quietly commented as he went back to washing the dishes
...
The time had landed at 11:00 AM once all the house chores were completed. After checking the weather channel for updates regarding the freezing temperatures, to everyone's surprise it seemed as though a little bit of warmth was being presented; a walk out into town would be much more comfortable now.
Once everyone was dressed and ready, Tsukasa went out to his car to take out a stroller he had anticipated to use for Ikuto on their outings, least until Ikuto could start walking on his own again.
"Ta-Da! Look what I have here; now it'll be easy to escort Ikuto today!" Tsukasa cheerfully chanted as he brought the stroller into the house; Amu was finishing buttoning Ikuto's coat up as Miki and Yoru went about adjusting the grey wool hat on the teen's blue head.
"Wow, but how are you going to get Ikuto to sit in there?" Amu asked as she watched Tsukasa undo the straps and wheeled the stroller over to her and Ikuto, who were patiently sitting on an armchair nearest the entrance.
"Like this!"
Without hesitation, Tsukasa scooped Ikuto into his arms and fastened him to the stroller's seat, buckling Ikuto with the straps laid across his lap and pulling the attached canopy over the boy's head; Tsukasa grabbed a pair of black winter boots and gently put them onto Ikuto's feet as Ran flew over and placed a pacifier into Ikuto's mouth.
"Now we're ready to go!" Ran exclaimed with her over-the top enthusiasm.
...
The city streets were lit bright as the crowds grew in size, many people flocking to see the decorated Christmas trees and window displays. Children were screaming to go into the toy stores, multiple cute couples anxiously finding a cafe to go warm up in and typical business people hurriedly crossing the street to catch the trains on time. As Tsukasa pushed the stroller on the sidewalk, Amu looked around alongside the Shugo Charas hoping to find some interesting stores to head into.
"Is there a certain store you wanted to go to, Amu?" Tsukasa asked as he fixed the canopy to properly cover Ikuto; the sun was extremely bright today but, to avoid any odd stares from strangers wondering why a grown man was in a baby stroller, Tsukasa opted to make sure Ikuto had privacy whilst still being able to view his surroundings. However, It just so happened that Ikuto fell asleep midway into town, so his stirring wouldn't be much of an issue right now.
"I was thinking I shop for my parents and little sister today, if that's ok? I have ideas for their presents in my notes; I think that the toy store that's near here should be good for Ami!"
"I love Christmas shopping! It's so nostalgic; the snow, the trees and all the pretty lights everywhere!" Suu happily commented as she, alongside the other Charas floated above head.
"I really want to find some new paint brushes!" Miki added.
"Yoru, what do you want for Christmas?" Ran asked as the little pink Chara noticed a depressive frown on the cat Chara.
"I don't know. I don't really want to think of Christmas right now" Yoru said sadly. Ever since the accident between Easter and Ikuto, Amu had noticed that Yoru was much more sadder than usual. In all seriousness, Amu could only guess that the lack of communication, on top of a whole new demeanor Ikuto was now presenting was causing some anxiety for the Chara.
As Amu kept her focus on Yoru worriedly, Suu pointed out the toy store that came up on the next block. Ami, Amu's younger sister always asked for her presents to be bought at this store, to which is how Amu came to know if its existence.
It was a fairly large department store with grey and white contrast against the walls and borders. The gigantic neon sign that was lit above read "Children's Toy Shop" in a mix of kanji and katakana writing; right next to the sign was an equally large caricature of a teddy bear that held a sign saying "Select toys on sale now" in bold letters. The front entrance was a typical automatic sliding door leading into the shop.
As Tsukasa, Amu and the Charas successfully got Ikuto and the stroller into the store, they were all amazed at the elaborate banners, music softly playing on the speakers and all the toys on display against the shelves.
"Where do we start?" Amu asked as she looked down the aisles, many children happily skipping with their adults who were pushing the blue shopping carts full of the latest in popular toys and games.
"We can split up so that you can find Ami's gift; I was going to take Ikuto to the baby area to pick up some items!" Tsukasa shared as he looked at the banners, trying to find the baby isle.
"Ok! Then let's plan to meet up near the gaming section in an hour. Does that sound good?" Amu asked as she bent down to check on Ikuto, who was still soundly sleeping, sucking on his pacifier softly.
"Sounds like a plan!" Tsukasa smiled with his thumb sticking up.
...
"Amu, look at this! Ami would love this; she's big into dolls!" Ran said as she pointed out the doll section filled with frilly petite clothes and small dolls of all shades firmly stacked in plastic, see-through boxes.
"What about a tea set?" Suu happily suggested as she put her focus towards the imaginary-play area that housed an adorable kitchen set alongside some wooden foods.
"Ami would love a coloring book and crayons" Miki added as Amu and her Shugo Charas walked down the different aisles, Yoru having accompanied Tsukasa and Ikuto to the baby section.
"I don't know what to get her! There's just so many choices here, it's overwhelming!" Amu sighed as she started to feel a headache approaching from all the commotion going on from the nearby shoppers.
BRRRRIIING BRRRRIIINNGGG!!!!
Amu felt her phone vibrate in her coat pocket; she grabbed it out and pressed the "Answer Now" button.
"Hello?"
An anxious voice vibrated on the other end of the call, clearly sounding desperate as if the end of the world was approaching Japan.
"Amu! Can you come to the baby isle please? Ikuto woke up and is crying quite a bit; I'm sorry to disturb you so suddenly!" Tsukasa pleaded as the man continued to try and soothe a bawling Ikuto in his stroller.
"I'm on my way, Tsukasa!" Amu clicked her phone off and pointed a finger at her three Charas.
"You three! Go and find a toy together for Ami while I go help with Ikuto!"
Ran, Miki and Suu saluted to Amu and set to fly about the store with hurried determination as Amu ran to the baby isle, already hearing a familiar cry as she approached the section.
...
"Is he thirsty?" Amu suggested as she help assist Tsukasa in bringing Ikuto to the accessible bathroom close by; considering that Ikuto's cries were unfortunately loud and aggressive, many passerby stopped to stare as Tsukasa and Amu attempted to soothe Ikuto in the aisle. When the two noticed that Ikuto wasn't going to quit crying anytime soon, they quickly strolled him to a family bathroom alongside Yoru to have some privacy from the peeping public eye.
"Here is his bottle!" Yoru said as grabbed the baby bottle out of the diaper bag Tsukasa brought on the trip. Yoru flew over to Ikuto, who was being held by Amu on the tile floor, being rocked back and forth while crying and rubbing his eyes. His face was red and puffy, even with Tsukasa constantly wiping his tears away with the pocket tissues. Yoru brought the bottle to Ikuto's lips, hoping his owner would abide and be calmed quickly.
As soon as the nipple of the bottle touched his lips, Ikuto turned his head away and cried into Amu's shoulder as the girl rubbed the teen's back. The trio sighed in disappointment.
"What about his diaper?" Amu suggested.
As Yoru grabbed a long roll of paper supplied at the bathroom's changing table attached to the wall, Amu went and laid Ikuto onto the paper placed flat on the floor. Tsukasa jumped in to take a look at Ikuto's diaper. After quickly fumbling with Ikuto's pants, he undid the diaper tabs and took a look to see if a change was required.
"Uh? It's clean!" Tsukasa bewildered. Ikuto continued to howl loudly as Tsukasa fixed his clothes and continued to cradle the boy.
"What's wrong with him??" Amu, Tsukasa and Yoru all asked worriedly as they sat dumbfounded in the bathroom, anxiously rocking Ikuto as the store's Christmas playlist hummed softly in the distance.
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Omg too many ideas all at once! I decided to break up this chapter instead of trying to fit it into one chapter altogether, so it'll be continued soon:)
