Chigiri was prepping to film a new style video when there was a knock on the door. Last time he'd answered a random knock it had turned into a disaster, and his heart was pounding as he stepped closer.

"Who is it?" he called, not wanting to make the same mistake again.

"It's Yuuko. I've got Reina with me."

His fear instantly evaporated.

"Hang on!"

He unlocked the door and pulled it open to find Kunigami's older sister and niece standing there.

"Hi, Chigiri. Is my brother home? I have to go up north, and Kotone has exams. I need him to babysit Reina."

"Kuni- I mean, Rensuke isn't here. He took an extra shift."

"Oh. Then do you mind, Chigiri?"

"Huh?"

"Please? It'd really help me out."

"Oh, um, I guess that's okay, if Reina's happy with it."

"Yeah!" the little girl agreed.

"Great! Here are Reina's things," Yuuko said, handing a small suitcase over. It was heavy.

"Um, how long will she be here?"

"I'll pick her up tomorrow afternoon. Rensuke knows the drill. Thank you so much, Chigiri."

Yuuko looked down at her daughter. "Be a good girl for your ojisan."

"I will, Mama."

Yuuko waved goodbye and then she was gone.

"Okay…" Chigiri said, looking down at the child helplessly. He had zero experience with kids, and he could barely look after himself. What the hell do I do now?!

He thought about texting Kunigami for advice, but didn't want to disturb him when he might be dealing with a serious emergency.

Instead, he carried Reina's bag inside, and she followed him, looking comfortable enough with the place. He assumed if Kunigami knew what to do, this must be a semi-regular thing. Maybe Reina had the answers.

"So how often do you say with your ojisan?"

"Only sometimes. Mostly when sobo is sick."

"Oh, okay." Was Kunigami's mother ill? "Is that your mum's mum?"

"No, Papa's mama. She lives far away and needs help sometimes."

"Got it. So when you stay here, what do you do?"

"Oji takes me to the park and we play soccer! I always beat him!"

"Oh yeah," Chigiri smiled. That sounded like Kunigami, and he kinda wanted to see it. But I can't do that with her. He did know she was into hair-styling though.

"Umm, I was going to try a new hairstyle…"

Her eyes lit up.

"Can you do my hair? Make it really pretty?"

That actually wasn't a bad idea…

"Hey, Reina, how do you usually wear it for school?"

"In a ponytail. Otherwise it gets in the way."

"Makes sense. What about the other girls?"

"The same, unless they have short hair then they leave it out."

"Do you think it would be okay if you wore it a little differently? Are there rules?"

Reina recited them for him. It was a bit of a balancing act, figuring out what was appropriate and practical for school, but adding just a little bit of glam to it. Aryu would be proud. Reina's feedback was important too, he needed her to feel comfortable with the styles, and he wanted her to like the looks. My hair can give me confidence when it looks good, I want her to experience that too.

He decided to make guide videos while he was going, just in case he could use them. Of course he wouldn't post them without permission and he made sure that Reina's face wasn't visible.

Reina seemed to have fun, and it took up a good portion of the day in between other things like eating, playing and colouring in. Reina had a few things like toys, pencils and paper stashed around the apartment that Chigiri had never seen before but she knew where to find them all.

"Are you going to post the videos? Oba showed me some of your videos on the internet. They're really cool."

"I don't know. We have to ask your mum first, but maybe if she's okay with it."

Reina seemed satisfied with that answer.

"Can we watch TV now?" she asked. It was hard to keep up with her, kids went from one thing to the next without pause.

"Sure," Chigiri agreed, happy for a chance to relax, and they settled down on the couch together.

xxx

Kunigami was pretty tired by the time he left work, they'd had a ridiculous amount of callouts today. When he'd checked his phone at the end of shift there had been a message waiting for him for Yuuko, she'd had to go see her mother-in-law again and had dropped Reina off with Chigiri. He was a little surprised that Chigiri had agreed, but the thought made him smile. I wonder what those two got up to today?

He kind of expected chaos when he got home, but it was quiet when he stepped inside. The reason for that was the adorable sight before him. Chigiri and Reina were both asleep on the couch, Chigiri leaning back, Reina leaning against his side. Kunigami pulled out his phone and captured the cute moment, immediately sending the photo to Yuuko.

Both of them looked so peaceful, he couldn't bear waking them, so instead he stashed his bag, and then settled beside Chigiri, to just close his eyes and rest for a minute…

xxx

When Chigiri woke, it was dark and his neck was kinda sore. It took him a moment to realise he was on the couch and then he realised he wasn't alone. Reina was with him, they must've fallen asleep watching TV, and on his other side was Kunigami. When did he get home?

"Hey," he said, gently nudging Kunigami awake. The bigger man stirred beside him.

"Hey…" Kunigami said softly, giving him a smile. "You guys had a big day, huh?"

"Yeah, she never stops."

"She's six."

"I know. It was pretty fun actually."

"That's good," Kunigami smiled. "Thanks for taking care of her."

"Sure. I guess your shift was rough, huh? If you conked out as soon as you got home."

"Yeah, it was a busy day. But you guys were irresistibly cute."

Kunigami pulled out his phone and showed Chigiri the photo. It was unflattering, his mouth hanging open, hair a mess.

"Delete that."

"Not a chance. Besides, I already sent it to Yuuko."

"What?!"

"Shh, you'll wake Reina."

"She's gotta wake up and have dinner anyway. Have you eaten yet?"

"No."

"So do you want to deal with the food or the kid?"

Kunigami gave him an amused look.

"You seem to be doing pretty good with her, I'll start dinner."

"Okay," Chigiri agreed, as Kunigami got up off the couch.

He looked down at Reina, long dark lashes brushing her rosy cheeks. She looked so content, he really didn't want to wake her. Instead, he leaned back and yawned. Five more minutes won't hurt…

xxx

Kunigami had the following day off so they decided to go to park. Kunigami had a nice pro Nike ball for them to play with.

Chigiri watched while Kunigami did some warm-ups with Reina, which mostly involved them kicking the ball back and forward between each other, as well as Kunigami showing off with a bit of juggling much to Reina's delight. It made Chigiri smile to see the bond between them, Reina put a lot of effort in to impress her ojisan, and Kunigami played along with her, without dumbing it down too much.

After they'd had their fill of practice, Reina wanted to play a game. She ran over to him where he was sitting on the sideline.

"You play too, oji," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling. It was a lot all in one moment. He was being called family, and he was being asked to play soccer. It must have been shock that had him rising to his feet. "You can be on my team," the little girl insisted.

"Okay," he nodded, catching Kunigami's eye.

It had been years since he'd attempted soccer. The last time had been when he'd done his ACL the second time. An unexpected play had him trying to change direction quickly to defend and when he'd heard the pop, he'd known instantly that his career was over. He didn't have the strength to go through it all over again. Especially with no guarantees it wouldn't happen a third time. But that was years ago, and Reina was a six-year-old girl, not an elite athlete. I should be able to keep up.

"You and I versus ojisan. Okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, putting her game face on. Of course she had the honour of kicking off, and Chigiri let the two of them handle most of the plays, just sending the ball back to Reina if it got past her. Kunigami was good with her, setting his play at a level that challenged Reina, but didn't let her get too frustrated. If she made a good move, he let her score, but he didn't let her get every goal. He was teaching her without upsetting her. Of course, he's a hero.

It turned out to be a fun day, the three of them having nothing to do and nowhere to be, except have fun and be with each other.

Playing in the park had worn Reina out. When they got home Kunigami stepped out to take a call, and Reina climbed onto Chigiri's lap, falling asleep straight away.

"That was Yuuko," Kunigami said softly when he returned. "She has to stay another day. I told her we could keep Reina another night. I hope that's cool."

"Yeah, of course. She's a good kid."

"Yeah," Kunigami smiled fondly. "Want me to put her on her futon?"

"No, it's okay…" he said, holding her close. I haven't felt this feeling in so long…

"It's nice to be around family, huh?" Kunigami said, voicing Chigiri's thought.

He pressed his lips together and nodded, because if he tried to speak he was gonna cry.

Kunigami ran a big hand over his hair and smiled.

"I think you're stuck with us now, Chigiri. Reina's really taken to you. I'm gonna go grab a shower, if you're okay here?"

He nodded and Kunigami left the care of his niece to him. It meant a lot, to be trusted with something so important, after the mess he'd made of everything else. He really is the best person I've ever known.

xxx

On the third day Reina wanted to go to the park again. He braided her hair before they left, to keep it out of her face while they played. The weather was cooling off now that winter was almost here, but it was still a sunny, pleasant day.

This time the warm up was a triangle, the three of them passing the ball around. As he received the pass from Kunigami, it hit him for a moment, that they were playing soccer together again, something he never could have imagined during those dark days, when he couldn't see any way out. It really is impossible to know where life will lead.

They played another two-on-one game, but he thought it would be more fun if they had two proper teams, which meant they needed another person to even it up. He sent a message to Reo, who replied immediately, saying he could join them for an hour or so. It was a public holiday after all, so it was rough that he had to work at all.

It wasn't too long before Reo showed up, dressed in his work suit. It was a three-piece and he actually looked pretty good in it.

"Hey guys," Reo greeted.

"Hey, Reo," Chigiri smiled. "This is Kunigami's niece, Reina…" He tried to introduce, but she'd disappeared behind him and was hugging his leg. "It's okay, Reina," he told her. "This is Reo. He used to play soccer with your ojisan. I thought he could play with us today."

She looked up at him, and then at Reo.

"Hi," Reo waved, but she buried her face in Chigiri's leg.

"Hey, come on, Reina," Kunigami said, scooping his niece up and lifting her high, making her giggle. "What's wrong? Reo is nice. He doesn't get to play soccer much anymore. Let's play with him so he can have fun too."

"I want to be on a team with Oji Chigiri."

"I dunno," Kunigami said. "Reo's pretty good, I think I need you on my team to beat him. Sound good?"

"Okay," she agreed. "I'll help you win."

"Good girl," Kunigami said, putting her down so they could start the game.

"Looks like it's me and you," Chigiri said to Reo, who threw off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. "Don't expect too much from me, I definitely can't keep up with you and Kunigami."

The game started out soft, at the level of a primary school kid, but it wasn't too long before Kunigami and Reo started to get more competitive with each other.

I'd love to see them both go all out.

"I'm tired. Wanna sit down with me for a break, Reina? Ojisan bought some snacks."

"Okay," she agreed.

They sat together on the grass, sharing strawberries while they watched Kunigami and Reo play one on one. Without teams they couldn't really make plays, but it was fun watching them use all their strength and speed to try to get around each other or steal the ball.

At one point Kunigami got around Reo and clear enough to launch one of his mid-range shots. The ball sailed into the goal impressively.

Chigiri and Reina cheered from the sidelines.

"Oji is fast!" Reina admired.

"Yeah…" Chigiri agreed, wishing he could still run like he used to. There had been no better feeling. The wind in his hair, open space in front of him, the knowledge that no one was gonna be able to catch him…

In the end Reo was no match for Kunigami simply because Kunigami worked out a lot for work so he'd maintained a higher level of fitness. They sat down too, Reina shifting a little closer to Chigiri because Reo was there. I knew she was shy, but she got over it so quickly with me that I didn't think it was a major issue. He thought for a second about how to make her less nervous around Reo. Well, we bonded over hair styling. Reo's hair was still surprisingly long for a white collar worker, maybe he could use that.

"Hey, Reina," he said, leaning down to speak to her. "What do you say we fix Reo's hair up for him. It got kinda messy during that game, huh?"

She grinned up at him, and nodded.

"Okay, Reo," Chigiri said. "We've decided you need a makeover."

"Huh?" Reo said, lowering his water bottle.

"What do you think, Reina? Pigtails?"

"Yes!" she giggled.

"You're not serious…" Reo checked.

"Heck yes we are. Now hold still."

He sat behind Reo, pulling his hair loose and running his fingers through it. It was silky smooth, and just a little damp with sweat. Chigiri smiled to himself. They seriously did push each other.

Reo sat very still, while Chigiri parted his hair and pulled it into two low pigtails, tying it with a spare hair tie from his wrist. The style was cute, but needed some extra flare, and glancing around he spotted a flowerbed.

"Hey, Reina. Go grab a couple of those cosmos there," he told her.

She grinned and picked two, one white and one pale pink, bringing her prizes back proudly. They worked together to fix them into the pigtails just above the ties.

"I have to go back to work after this," Reo complained.

"And now you'll look beautiful when you do," Chigiri grinned. "What do you think, Reina?"

"It looks pretty!" she grinned.

Chigiri snapped a quick pic and handed his phone to Reina.

"Show Reo and see what he thinks."

She eagerly presented the photo, pointing to the screen.

"See the flowers?"

"I do," Reo said. "You, ah, picked nice ones."

"He likes them Oji Chigiri!"

"That's good," Chigiri smiled to humour her. She turned back to Reo.

"Oji Chigiri is really good at doing hair. He makes videos. Show him the videos, Oji Chigiri."

Chigiri felt his face flush. It wasn't really something he needed to share with Reo.

"Maybe another time," Kunigami answered for him, coming to his rescue. "Reo has to get back to work now. Right, Reo?"

Reo looked at his phone, and jumped up when he saw the time.

"Um, yeah. I really do. But it was nice to meet you, Reina. And thanks everyone for letting me play soccer with you. It was fun."

For a moment before he left, Reo's gaze landed on Chigiri and it was a look that made him feel like there was a lot left unsaid between them. They said goodbye, but he hoped they'd get a chance to have those conversations one day.

xxx

That afternoon when Yuuko came to collect Reina, Chigiri was a little sad. Reina was fun to have around and he liked that she treated him at face value, his past and current circumstances meant nothing to her.

"Bye, Reina. Thanks for hanging out with me. It was fun."

She stepped forward and hugged his legs, not wanting to leave. He reached down and touched her hair.

"You have to go now, but I'll see you soon. Okay, Reina?"

She looked up at him with big, amber eyes.

"When?"

He was at a bit of a loss, it wasn't really up to him to make plans for Kunigami's family, he'd just wanted to cheer her up.

"We'll come for dinner again," Kunigami said. "And you can stay over whenever your mum says it's okay. Now where's my hug?"

He crouched down and held his arms out, the little girl going to him. He wrapped her up.

"Love you, kiddo."

"Love you too," she told her ojisan. Then she looked up at Chigiri. "I love you too, Oji Chigiri."

It hit him harder than he expected, and he could barely push the reply out his mouth without choking up. Then he felt Kunigami's hand on his back, supporting him like always, and was able to do it.

"I… love you too, Reina."

She gave them both a grin and followed her mother happily, assured that she'd see her uncles again soon.

Later that evening when he'd (mostly) pulled himself together, they were sitting on the couch when Kunigami turned a soft smile on him.

"You missing Reina?"

"I kinda am," he admitted. Even though she'd only been around for three days the apartment felt very quiet without her. I've never thought about having kids, but I wonder if…

"She's a great kid," Kunigami praised.

He wanted to ask if Kunigami ever thought about having kids of his own, but he was too scared in case the answer was yes. That's not something I can give him. He'd be a great dad though…

"Hey, Chigiri?"

"Yeah?"

"Before, you said your family isn't around anymore…"

The question jarred him a little, it wasn't where he'd expected the conversation to go.

"They cut ties with me. It's my own fault."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just thinking, if you want to try to reconnect, I could go with you."

"Seriously? You'd do that?"

"Sure. If it's what you want. I think they'd be happy to see you're doing better."

The last time he'd seen them his mother had packed a suitcase for him and his father had thrown it out the door. He didn't exactly blame them, before it reached that point he'd put them through plenty of heartache and shame. His actions weren't easy things to forgive, and rejection now wasn't something he felt able to deal with.

"I'm not ready for that, but I'll keep it in mind. Thanks."

"Okay. Just remember that I'm here for anything you need. All you have to do is ask."

"I know," he said, leaning into Kunigami's side. Kunigami curled an arm around his shoulders, allowing the weakness, his warmth and firm grip chasing away any loneliness Chigiri felt.