| an_apple | 2007-11-24 22:59 |
fic: Dear Family Title: Dear Family Pairing: Nishikido Ryo and Sawajiri Erika Genre: babyfic~ Rating: G Summary: Erika learns something new. Ryo learns something new as well. Disclaimer: Dude. I wish. Notes: I dunno if I should blame myself or [info]enerirenie forstarting this. I made up some stuff, such as Ryo’s family members’names. Hope no one minds. For [info]cynicalism. “How come the men get to sit outside and drink beer while we cook,”Ryo’s younger sister, Reiko grumbled as her hands worked quickly torelieve an egg of its shell. “Because…” his mother, Rikako, trailed off, heaving a heavy pot fullof water on the stove and turning the heat up, “In here they will pickat the food, make a mess, and get in the way.” “Point, but still–” “They’ll clean up after us,” Rikako told her. Satisfied, Reiko attacked another potato. Erika peered in from the doorway, watching them. That must be therice cooker he was talking about, she thought, spotting an old andbattered one on the shelf, smiling. “Aachan~” Reiko murmured gratefully, setting the knife down. “What’re you doing out there? You can come in if you like.” “I didn’t want to be in the way,” she answered quietly. “Nonsense,” Rikako said, looking up. “We need another pair of hands in here, anyway. Could you wash those grapes?” Obediently Erika followed instructions, fetched ingredients,scrubbing vegetables, stirring the occasional pot. It felt a lot likeworking in her mother’s restaurant again, and she told them so. They seemed pleased. Reiko was in the middle of teaching her selectwords in Kansai-ben when they heard her son’s waking wail through thekitchen intercom. On impulse, she shook her head imperceptibly before her mother coulddry her hands and fetch the child herself. Then she turned to Erikacasually and said, “Aachan, would you mind? My hands are full.” Erika blinked, stared, blinked again, and shook her head slightly. “You want me to get Hiro?” “Please.” Frowning uneasily, Erika started out of the kitchen. “What are you up to, Rei-chan?” her mother wanted to know. Reikoonly responded with a knowing smile, and went back to slicing thepeppers. They’d know soon enough. Hiro sounded very upset, Erika thought as she went up the stairs andhurried down the hall. What if he was hurt? Or sick? What in the worldwas his mother thinking, not even coming up here to check on himherself? Taking a deep, bracing breath, she walked into the nursery. The boy was positively howling, and once he heard the door open, his cry seemed to get all that much louder. “Oh, sweetie,” Erika crooned, torn in between panic and nerves,“Hey… Did you think no one was coming?” She picked the sobbing baby up,and Hiro compensated for her awkwardness by cuddling trustingly againsther. She all but melted. “There you are. You’re so little… Sweet littleHiro chan.” On a trembling sigh, Hiro tipped his head back and staredup at her. “You look like your uncle a lot, huh? You’re cute. He’s kindof cute, too, sometimes… rarely…” Downstairs, two women laughed as her voice came through clearly on the intercom. Erika discovered the problem when she lifted Hiro against her. “Aa…you’re wet, right? Look, I think your mom could probably fix this in notime flat but she’s not here, and I am, so– what am I going to do, huh?” Hiro had stopped sniffling and was now blowing bubbles in his mouthas he tugged on Erika’s hair, smiling. As if that helped. She staredhelplessly right back at him, sighing, “Guess we’ll have a go at it,then. I’ve never changed a diaper in my life,” she murmured, lookingaround the room. “Or weeded a garden, or played tag, or any damn thing.Oops,” she muttered, wincing. “No swearing, right. Gomenne, Hiro chan.Don’t tell your mom. Here we are.” She found the bright blue diaper bagsitting beside the crib and swung it up, holding the boy firmly in herother arm as she opened it up. “Oh, Lord, Hiro. They’re real ones.” Exhaling loudly, she grabbed one of the neatly folded cottondiapers. “Okay. Okay. Calm down, Erika. I can do this. I can really dothis. We’ll put you down here, Hiro…” she trailed off and laid thelittle boy on the changing table and breathed in. “Oi,” Ryo bounded into the room and was met with two very definite ’shh’s. “Nanyaro–” “Aachan’s changing your nephew,” Reiko said quietly, nodding towards the intercom, smiling. Ryo stared at them. “Erika?” He forgot the beer he’d been sent to fetch and stayed in to listen. “Seriously?” “Just shut up, Oniichan!” Upstairs, Erika had just finished powdering Hiro and was nowfiguring out the mechanics of a baby diaper. “How the he–ck– do theyput this thing on, Hiro chan? Don’t suppose you have an idea? No? Ah,”she sighed as she attempted to make the new diaper look like the oneshe’d just removed, all the while having the baby laugh at her. “Thislooks kind of close, I guess.” Hiro kicked and laughed some more.“Yeah, okay, so I don’t know what I’m doing– you don’t have to laugh sohard!” she joked, giggling herself. “You’re just like Ryo, really.” Downstairs, Ryo began choking on air, much to the amusement of his mother and sister. “Okay, this is the hard part– no wriggling, Hiro chan,” she admonished softly. But of course he did. And the more Hiro kicked and wriggled, themore she laughed and cuddled him. When she managed to put the diaper onsecurely, Hiro looked so cute, smelled so good, that Erika had tocuddle some more. Then she lifted him, causing him to squeal and blowmore bubbles. The diaper stayed in place. Erika considered that an achievement. “Okay, handsome. You’re all set. Wanna go down and see Mama?” “Mama,” Hiro gurgled happily, bouncing in her arms. Back in the kitchen, three people scattered and tried their best to look busy. “Omatase shimashita,” she began as she walked in. “He was wet.”Erika caught sight of Ryo and stopped in her tracks, cheek pressedagainst his nephew’s. Their eyes connected, and she felt her knees going weak. There wasno possible way in hell that he was looking at her like that in frontof his mom, in front of his sister. He strode purposefully to her and held out his arms. “I’ll takehim,” he said, and Hiro stretched into them. Ryo settled him easily onhis hip, still staring at her. Erika folded her hands together, staringback at him. “Come here,” Ryo murmured gruffly, and before she could find anytime to react, he’d pulled her against him and leaned down for a long,brain-breaking kiss. His mother and sister pretended not to notice, but they got themessage clearly. Erika wasn’t just any other woman, now. She was thewoman. Slowly, he slid away, leaving her dazed, blushing furiously. Ryogrinned at her. “I’ll come back for the beer,” he declared, swaggeringout, letting the door slam closed behind him. Erika blinked after him, several times. Finally, Rikako took her gently by the hand. “Come now, dear. I’ll teach you how to make miso soup the way Ryo chan likes it.” Current Music: Girl on TV - LFO Written by honeymilk_tea(honeymilk_tea) Sawajiri Erika China: http://sawajiri-erika.cn/2007/11/fiction-dear-family.html |
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