Work Text:
A night like any other. The oven was off, the smell of gas still lingering in the kitchen despite having been turned off minutes before. A pot of vegetable soup lay half-finished on top of the oven, three dirty plates (and one child's) remained unwashed in the dishwasher, along with a mug that read "World's Best Dad" and a few unfinished glasses of alcohol.
It was quiet, of course. It was nearly ten o'clock, and the toys in the living room hadn't been picked up yet—maybe tomorrow if he or she got up early.
On the second floor, two mischievous little ones slept in their bunk bed, decorated with lights and stickers to their liking. The boy snored, a trait he inherited from his mother. The girl slept soundly, snuggled up with her six stuffed animals, a trait she inherited from her father.
The bedside lamp with its magical colored lights rotated in the messy room, which exuded such an innocent, warm, and childlike atmosphere. It had everything: a handmade dollhouse, handmade dolls, handmade costumes too! Having a father with a knack for sewing and textiles was a privilege... Leaving that beautiful room was the hallway, a well-decorated and tidy hallway, with family photos everywhere and the occasional vase of artificial flowers.
In the master bedroom lay a pretty crib that had been passed down from child to child, in which a newborn babbled and squirmed just as restlessly. His brown hair was so beautiful, just like his mother's! And those clear eyes like a blue sky... God, what a baby!
The father of this mischievous little bundle couldn't help but smile and easily lifted the newborn. His pleas for a home gym had paid off, and how!
"Momma will be home soon..." he murmured to the infant in his strong arms, as if the baby already knew every word his father said and how to give change for the chocolate at the corner store. The man adjusted his glasses and his messy black hair; being a father of three and a stay-at-home dad after closing the textile shop every evening was hard work, but he loved it when the children told him, «Do push-ups with us on your back!»
He smiled as he watched the baby begin to drift off into the dungeon of sleep. The adult gently guiding his little head back into the crib, tucking him in, and placing a handmade stuffed animal beside him.
"...Sweet dreams, my strong boy..."
11:08 PM
She finally returned after a busy day on the film set. A new musical movie idea had come to her, and she couldn't say no; money gets spent. She kicked off her painful pastel pink heels and flinched at a squeak—the darn rubber duck on the living room floor. She picked it up and placed it on the coffee table with a sigh, heading to the kitchen.
She saw the half-finished soup in the pot; they'd clearly left it for her. And seeing those unwashed dishes seemed so endearing and homey for some reason. She smiled and went into "home mode," tying her hair into a messy bun and heading upstairs, heels in hand. Her bandaged feet were dying to touch the cold floor.
She got upstairs and decided to check on her two older children's room, finding them asleep as usual. A sight that made twelve hours of labor worthwhile.
She went right to the bathroom to use the restroom, wash her hands, face, makeup, and brush her teeth, finally feeling another weight lifted. Beautiful Friday night!
She entered their bedroom, the master bedroom, kicking off her heels again, taking off her sweater, and approaching the crib, watching her little brat sleeping peacefully with the handmade stuffed animal beside him like a faithful friend. It made her smile and made her night even better than it already was. Being a mother was the best thing that had ever happened to her. (That and marrying that annoying, spoiled teenager from high school who was like a little brother to her.)
And speaking of "The Bloodcurdling Beefcake Emperor," she felt two strong arms slide shyly and gently around her waist, pulling her closer. She remembered when they first started dating. Naoto and Yu confessed their feelings, they just had to do It. It was bad luck, it seemed, so Kanji and Rise were each other's shoulders to cry on... And now this was how it was, sharing their lives together with three beautiful children, a ring on the same finger, a house in Inaba, a textile shop... And lots of trips out of town for Rise's work... I guess the kids got tired of visiting New York.
Kanji was really shy when they first started dating. Yes, he was tough, manly, strong... But when it came to intimacy, kisses, and Rise, the guy melted! He was a total hottie! A big, beautiful bear that Rise never thought she'd love, but she did! And now? She's the happiest woman...
"...How was work?"
"Bad. But I'm so glad to be home..."
She smiled. He followed suit and turned her around, lifting her into his arms, grinning like a teenager. Rise sighed and giggled, caressing his cheekbones and sharing a kiss so warm and slow, it gave her goosebumps and made her tremble.
Kanji knew how to treat a woman, or a man, both. He was a true gentleman when he wanted to be, and Rise adored that with all her heart! Whenever she was sick, whenever they went to the TV... He was always there for her, for everyone! He was her hero!
"Don't you want to talk about it?" He lowered her from his arms, still caressing her hips, softly, lightly. She shook her head with a smile, wrapping her arms tenderly around his neck and moving her head slowly, wearily, swaying slightly on her feet. "No... We should probably go to sleep..."
Rise gave him one last caress on his shoulders before stepping aside softly and taking off her t-shirt, revealing her pretty dark pink lace bra, before heading into the small room they shared as a closet. Kanji followed her and went in as well, but not before taking one last look at the baby in the crib.
The couple got ready for bed. Kanji couldn't help but blush every time Rise took the opportunity to tease him and make him nervous, causing laughter and glances in the closet. (They definitely weren't having sex there now. They had a newborn baby occupying their damn room, and they were both exhausted.
Rise put on her pink nightgown with straps; half her clothes were pink, and Kanji thought it was damn cute. (Not to mention that he sometimes made those same clothes himself.) He always made clothes for her and their children whenever he had the time.
She wrapped herself around Kanji again, sharing a soft, sweet, passionate kiss that ended in a light make-out session. She was pressed against the shoe rack as Kanji kissed her soft, cherry-flavored lips, his kiss trailing down to her neck. She let out soft gasps and giggles, calling him «Moronji,» just like she used to call him in their younger days. That made him groan and complain, a slight blush rising to his cheeks as he adjusted those sexy glasses that made him even more attractive. Rise was about to faint!
She remembers that summer afternoon when he called to tell her he wanted to go back to his natural hair color. She immediately went to his house to wash his hair and apply various products, finally revealing his beautiful, striking black hair... She also remembers when he removed his piercings. To this day, Rise still runs her thumbs over those empty, tiny holes that never healed, but she finds them beautiful.
Rise looked at him with a warm smile and removed his beautiful glasses so she could kiss him more easily, caressing his soft hair and cheekbones. Kanji blushed but returned his wife's kisses once more, drawing her closer to him.
For Kanji, Rise wasn't the famous idol everyone talked about; she was Rise Kujikawa, his childhood friend, that annoying, spoiled girl who only knew how to tease him, that girl who treated him like a little brother... That girl who got nervous when she confessed her feelings to him one night after going to the Okina cinema to see a romantic movie, that girl who painted his nails, bleached his hair, kissed his face... That girl who he saw walk down the aisle one spring afternoon and nervously slipped the ring onto her finger, thinking he wasn't good enough for her, but at the end of the day, they were both fools for each other.
That woman... Who didn't hesitate to trade her heels for work boots to improve the house they would share for the rest of their lives, that woman he saw emerge from the bathroom with a smile and tears in her eyes, showing him a positive pregnancy test that landed him in the hospital with a severe drop in blood pressure. That woman, Rise Kujikawa, who gave Kanji Tatsumi a life he never thought he'd have. Now? Now he was the happiest man in the world.
"...You're staring at me again, darling..." That snapped him out of his reverie, and he smiled, gently kissing the idol's face. "...Let's go to sleep..."
They left the closet after getting ready for bed, putting on white noise for the baby, turning off the lights, and finally reaching their longed-for bed for a well-deserved rest. She didn't hesitate to snuggle up against his chest, clad in a simple gray t-shirt. He smiled and placed his glasses on his nightstand, stroking the tangled brown hair of his hardworking wife, sighing with exhaustion and contentment against her forehead.
"...I'm not cleaning up the mess in the living room." She spat out under her breath.
"Huh?! Why are you ruining the moment like that, you idiot?"
"I'm just saying..."
"...You'll do it anyway, I know you."
"Go to sleep, moronji!"
"Tch, sleep well then..."
"You too..."
A final chaste kiss before they drifted into a deep sleep. Their snores were so loud, the children ended up going to their room in the middle of the night to bury their faces in their pillows. Kanji and Rise were sound asleep.