A/N: And as a follow-up/companion to Mother's Day, we get Father's Day. Some suggestive content, but not explicit.
"Ack–you sure are gettin' heavy, aren't yeh?" The toddler giggled in his arms, attempting to once again snatch those silvery strands but he gently maneuvered her hands out of the way. "Ooh no little lady, I'm not fallin' for that again…"
"Awwww…tou-san, you no like fun…" She pouted, jutting out her lips exactly like Sio did whenever she was trying to cajole him into doing something. "Mama would…"
"Yes, well, I am not your mum; I'm your father. And as much as I love you, it does hurt after a while…" When she'd been just an infant, his hair had been at the mercy of her grip so often that he seriously considered cutting it short for once.
Still, a little discomfort was a small price to pay for this gift; the gift of finally settling down with love of his life, and starting their own family. The two especially priceless gifts of their children…Adam often thought he'd go through the war against EIOs a hundred times over than give up the life he had now.
"I'm sorry…" The little girl's maroons turned downward, tears threatening to spill from the reprimand. She was the baby of the family, thoroughly spoiled by everyone (including Adam himself), but still sensitive to any form of criticism.
"Hush love, it's all right; you didn't know, an' so that's why I'm tellin' you now, yeh?" He kissed his daughter lightly on the head, before patting her reassuringly. "No harm done."
"Adam? Where did you–oh, there you are." His wife came down the stairs, wearing the same sundress that he'd bought her all those years ago in Panama. It was getting a little frayed around the edges, and after two pregnancies she'd finally gotten some curves, but to him, she was still stunning. "Crap, remind me to hand this dress to your mum when we see her…this rip is getting ridiculous…"
"And scandalous," he joked, fingering the broken seam that sat just underneath the straps where they met her shoulder blades. "You aren't actually wearing this out…?"
Sio shook her head. "Of course not! C'mon Adam, I know I still don't have much of a fashion sense, but it's not terrible, okay?" She rolled her eyes, before granting the little girl in his arms a kiss. "And how's my baby? Spending time with tou-san? You're getting a little big to be carried around all day, don't you think?"
"Nuh uh! Tou-san's the best." The bundle in his arms squirmed around, arms locking so tightly around his neck that Adam thought he might suffocate.
"Oy there love, ease up on the grip yeh? There we go…" Sighing, he carried the girl out to the yard, as Sio rushed back upstairs to get ready for dinner tonight. For it was Father's Day, and as they had done every year before, dinner with the extended family was a must.
"Tou-san, why are we going out? I like home…" Maroons wide and pouting, but even this set of puppy-dog eyes couldn't sway his mind.
"I know you don't like going out, but it's for a special occasion today; plus, you'll get t' see grandmum again, and won't that be fun?"
She nodded, but hesitantly. Their children loved their grandparents, but just like him and Sio, noisy crowds of strangers were something that nobody in the family really enjoyed. Being a part of DOGOO, and to that extent, being exposed to the scrutiny of the public eye had inured him and Sio to appearing in public, but as soon as the war was over and they'd gotten married–it was back to the quiet English countryside to raise their family. Even now, years after the war, he still had to take precautions whenever they stepped out; their marriage ceremony, though exclusively private, had been the gossip of the entire world–and it was rumored, even more talked about than Crown Prince William's a decade ago.
"Tou-san…why's special? Why today?" She fidgeted slightly and he sat down on the bench, shifting his grip so she was turned into his chest. "Why?"
"Why? Well, today's Father's Day…don't you remember last year? We also went out to dinner with mummy's parents, in Japan? Everybody dressed up, and you wore a brand-new yukata?"
Maroons blinked once, then twice, before her mouth formed a giant 'o' as she nodded slowly. "So, today's special…"
"That's right."
"Why Father's Day? Why?"
"Weelll…" Adam leaned back slightly, rocking the girl in his arms as he mulled over the question. How to explain the importance of parenting to a three-year-old…well, couldn't be that hard, right? "Well, it's to celebrate fathers everywhere, including your old man right here. Being a father is hard work…"
"But how? How are you tou-san?"
"Er." He knew both kids were smart and inquisitive, but somehow, at only three years of age, his daughter had started down the questioning path that every parent dreaded: where do babies come from? Somehow, their son had made it all the way to six so far without even remotely bringing the subject up, yet his sister, not even in primary school, was already curious. Adam mentally cursed and wished Sio were here instead.
"I…well, because, I have you and your brother. With mummy. So that makes me a father."
"How?"
Adam was sweating bullets at this point. Babies…and being a parent…and sex… On one hand, he could just give her some made-up answer, but on the other, he was never one to back down from a challenge, especially from his own kids.
Plus, it just felt kind of crappy lying to your own kids.
"I…uh, well…that's because, it's…only something grown-ups can do. You're far too young to be one; later on when you're older, you'll know how."
"Older? But that's forever!" Adam heaved a sigh as his daughter seemed to have lost interest, and he took this opportunity to quickly take her inside and up before she thought of another potentially dangerous question to ask.
"All right, you and your brother start getting ready while I help your mum, then I'll come help you two, yeh?" With the siblings safely tucked away in their room, he crept into the bedroom, where Sio was busy posing in the mirror.
"Putting on a runway show?"
"Adam! I didn't hear you come in…" She turned around in shock, clad in nothing but a thin camisole and knickers with a silk dress in her hands. "It's hot today, but I know it'll cool down…I'm not sure which one to wear…and I swear if I catch one more paparazzi trying to ruin our evening, I'm letting Nobunagun out…"
"Why not the creme one? I like how it matches your eyes…" He murmured, pulling the navy dress out of her arms and handing her the pale-yellow one from the closet. "Though, personally I like it best when you're wearing nothing at all…"
Sio elbowed him in the torso before he could even plant that kiss on her shoulder. "Priorities, Adam," she warned, though despite her severe tone, he could tell she was struggling not to laugh. "I am not going to be late…again…"
"Mmm, we've plenty of time…and we made reservations. No rush." Despite her earlier jab, he had embraced her from behind and was now very gently lacing the exposed porcelain skin with feather-light kisses, Sio gasping as her knees buckled slightly. "You need to relax, love."
"Mmnn–A-Adam, stop–ah–god, you're hope…less…ahn…pervert…" Still, his wife put up no resistance, instead sinking backwards so that Adam held the majority of her weight. "I-If you're, serious about this…then make it quick…"
Just as Adam was busying himself removing his wife's undergarments however, two high-pitched voices were filtering through the door and he cursed under his breath, hurriedly throwing his shirt on again.
"Shit, forgot about the kids…!"
"Real smooth, Adam," Sio laughed quietly as Adam rushed out the door before the siblings could barge in on their parents having an inappropriate moment. "I expect this little mishap to be made up later…in full," she emphasized, giving him a smoldering glance that was not unlike when she used to go into battle as Nobunagun, and faintly Adam felt the other part of his soul stir at the invitation.
'Quiet Jack; you'll get your chance later tonight. Now be a good chap and simmer down for dinner, at least.'
Dinner was thankfully relatively uneventful–well, if you counted having to reserve the most private back room for your entire party to avoid the press uneventful. Perhaps it was a price to pay for coming out of the DOGOO vs EIO war mostly unscathed; and in all honesty, they could have paid a much higher price.
The two children were completely out at this point, one being carried by each parent as they finally returned to the quiet of their house. At least they weren't terribly heavy…yet, Adam thought as he finally pulled the covers over the sleeping kids.
"Y'know…it's strange, but sometimes I still can't believe it all happened; that this all happened," he mused quietly as he and Sio crawled into their own bed. "I mean, I can still remember when I was in secondary, thinking that I never wanted to get married…or have kids…"
"Things change, people change, Adam. You and I are proof of that, in more ways than one…" Sio responded quietly, her hand suddenly tracing his scar again. "When I was in high school, I never thought I'd even get a boyfriend, let alone marriage and stuff…"
"True…" His voice stilled as her hand started dipping lower, teasing inside the waistband of his boxers. "Uh…Sio…"
"That being said, I believe you owe me something…don't you, Adam?" The moon was but a faint glow through the curtains, but he didn't need to see her face to know that Nobunagun was probably peeking through, as well. The hand wandered a little lower still and he shuddered, before rolling onto his back and letting her take the lead.
"Right, right…apologies…I am quite knackered though…" A nudge in the back of his mind and he remembered that technically speaking, he didn't have to do everything…
'Have fun, Jack. Just don't go overboard…I can't oversleep tomorrow.'
The line between consciousness and dreams grew blurry, as he felt himself quietly fading into sleep, only vaguely sensing the emergence of another personality coming out from Sio as well. Jack and Nobunagun could go and have fun…as for him and Sio, sleep was more important.
