Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hey, Kyu! You wanted to see us?” Kazuki said the moment he and Rei stepped into the cafe, the bell chiming as the door swung open. Kyuutarou stood behind the counter, drying the glass cup in his hand.

The bartender met the blonde’s eyes, setting the glass and towel aside and adjusted his glasses. “Ah yes, I’m glad you’re here.” He said as the two partners took their seats on the stools by the bar.

“Is there a reason you dragged both of us out here in the middle of the night?” Rei asked tiredly, even though it was only 11 o’clock at night. Kazuki almost wanted to scold his partner for asking a rude question, even if he himself was also wondering why they were here, too.

“Actually, yes, there is.” Kyuutarou replied, looking directly at the younger man. “And it concerns you.”

Rei looked up, confused. “Me?”

“Yes, you, Rei.” Kyuutarou grabbed a file from underneath the bar table and slapped it down in front of the two assassins. On the file was a large red stamp reading, “CLASSIFIED” because every case file they’ve received had that same exact message.

Kazuki picked up the file and opened it, revealing both personal and very classified information about the Suwa family. Some of the files themselves were profiles of past targets and murder cases that were held away from the police from finding out. And one of those said cases was past suicide of a face Rei had only seen in photos.

“Kyu, what is this?” Kazuki asked as he held up the suicide case of a beautiful woman with long black hair, indigo eyes that matched Rei’s, and a warm, beautiful smile.

“A suicide case, obviously.” Kyuutarou replied as he fixed his glasses again. “The reason I brought you both here is because this case in particular was once a former member of the Suwa family.”

When Rei’s eyes glanced over to the file still in Kazuki’s hands, he read the name of the woman on it. “Suwa Hanako.” His mother, who he had only seen in family portraits and vaguely remembered. He recalled that she had committed suicide when he was only 4-years-old, so why was Kyutarou bringing a dead woman to their attention?

“I don’t get it, Kyu.” Kazuki said. He was just as confused about all of this as Rei was. “You send us to kill people who are alive, so why are you bringing a dead woman to our attention?”

“Because she’s not really dead.” Kyuutarou simply said, and that was enough for Rei to freeze completely.

His eyes went wide and he gripped the edge of the bar to the point where his knuckles were white. Alive? His mom was alive? How? She died all those years ago. Why? Why didn’t she tell him she was still alive?

“What?” Rei said in barely a whisper, feeling Kazuki gently place his hand on his shoulder, rubbing it reassuringly. “Wh…. Why? How….?”

“She faked her death.” Kyuutarou told him. “She faked her death because she wanted to escape your boss’ abusiveness. She didn’t want to be married to a husband whose only goal in life was mentally destroy their partner and child. So, she faked her own death, made it look like a suicide.”

Rei’s hands started trembling as Kazuki did his best to comfort him. “So what, you just want us to track my mother down and kill her ourselves?” He gritted his teeth angrily.

“I’m not asking you to kill her.” Kyuutarou replied quickly, as if he knew Rei was going to assume that. “I’m asking you to go see her.”

Rei looked up, his eyes slightly glossy. “What?”

“I know it’s not any of my business to get caught up in your personal family life, but she is your mother, Rei.” He said to the younger one. “It’s been 21 years, you know.”

Rei lightly bit his lip, recalling back to the last time he ever saw his mother alive. He vaguely remembered the henchman and butlers all struck with shock, the maids weeping, his mom’s black heels on the edge of the balcony, abandoned and a pink note inside, the terrifying image of her broken, unmoving body on the ground, her neck snapped at an awful angle, and the sight of his boss not caring about the fact that he himself was responsible for his wife’s “death”.

“You two are free to go now.” Kyuutarou told them. Kazuki helped Rei out of his seat, keeping both hands supporting him up so he wouldn’t collapse. “I’ll leave you with this new information for now, but Rei,” He looked at the black haired man slightly shaking in Kazuki’s hold, “I really do think you should go see her. Everything you need to know about where she is now is in the file.” He gave Rei a sad smile as he patted his arm. “Just think about it, okay?”

Rei couldn’t find the right words to say at the moment, so he just weakly nodded. Kazuki helped him walk back to their apartment where their precious Miri was sound asleep in her room at the moment. They left one of their neighbors in charge of looking after the place until they got back, learning from their past mistake when they left her by herself that one day and almost got their heads shot off if that gun had been loaded.

Once they got back, Kazuki sat Rei down onto the couch, gently grasping his shoulders. Rei kept his eyes glued onto the floor, unable to make eye contact with anything or anyone else.

“Rei?” Kazuki asked him. “Rei, look at me.” He slowly lifts his head up and meets the blonde’s eyes. He gives the younger a sad smile, the same one Kyuutarou gave him. “It’s okay. I’m here for you.” He leaned down and kissed his forehead, making Rei blush just a tiny bit. “Want me to get you anything?”

Rei nodded his head. “Please, just… hold me…”

Kazuki nodded and pulled Rei closer to him, wrapping his arms around his waist and rested his head on top of Rei’s, who in return pulled Kazuki in tightly and held him, not wanting to let go. Kazuki gently rubbed Rei’s back with one hand while he placed soft tiny kisses on Rei’s head.

The two assassins held each other as Rei looked down at the case file that had been left on the coffee table. There was a part of Rei that didn’t want to see his mother, thinking that she would resent him for his line of work and never wish to speak to him again, making him truly all alone with no real (blood) family left. But there was also a very small part of him that wanted to see her, to reconnect with the one person who gave and showed him real genuine love, the same kind of love Kazuki and Miri gave him. A feeling of belonging to a real family.

Rei should’ve been long asleep by now, but his mind kept racing with so many thoughts that sleep wouldn’t come to him despite how tired he feels right now.

He’s laying in his usual bathtub. Kazuki had offered his bed to share with (and since the two were in a relationship they’re used to each other’s company), Rei declined as he just wanted some time alone to himself with his thoughts. As terrible as he felt for leaving Kazuki alone for the night, he needed to think about everything.

He sighed and sat up. Since his attempts at trying to fall asleep had failed for him, he’ll just do something else besides laying down in a semi cramped tub. He got up and climbed out, swinging his legs over the edge. Opening the bathroom door quietly so that it didn’t squeak, he carefully navigates his way through the dark hallways of the apartment, eventually making his way into his bedroom, a room that he hardly ever uses. The bed is still neatly made and the smell of dust lingered in the air.

He turned on the desk lamp and sat at the desk in his room. He stared down at his hands, clutching at his pajama pants as he felt too many emotions at once building up in him.

His mother had been alive this entire time, and she never once reached out to let him know she was alright. He doesn’t hate his mom for it, though; he knows that she was just protecting herself and him so the boss didn’t find out and hurt them. But even so, he spent the past 21 years of his life thinking that she’d passed.

Digging through one of the drawers, he pulls out an old and wrinkled object that he’d been storing away since the moment he moved into this place. It was an old polaroid photograph of him and his mom when she was still present in his life. He estimated that he may have been around 2 or 3 at the time the picture was taken. His mom’s face had also been torn out and as to where the other piece was he had no clue. Did he tear his mother’s face out himself? He can’t seem to remember. In the picture, she had on a long black dress and a beautiful diamond ring that his boss must’ve paid good money for.

While Rei may not know much about his family history, he knew that his boss and mother had an arranged marriage because both came from wealthy families and were in good touch with each other with his boss being a part of the organization passed down from generation to generation and his mom whose father was the leader of a huge mafia business. So them getting married would obviously look good for both families. And the only reason he ever excited in the first place was because his father needed a son so he could have a heir and train him to become basically an emotionless human being whose only purpose in life was to kill. Rei guessed his mother never knew about his boss’ true business, and when she did, she wasn’t happy but he still threatened to hurt her and him if they tried anything, such as escaping and telling the authorities about his business. Or perhaps she did know and was just told to keep quiet about it. So she did the only thing she could think of: she killed herself.

When the news of his mother’s death came to him, Rei had locked himself away from everyone else and cried for hours and hours. If he ever needed to cry or show any emotion, he did it in private and if his boss ever caught him being weak or vulnerable, he would beat him almost to death or lock him in the cellar for days.

Rei hadn’t even noticed he started crying until he felt a few stray tears running down his cheeks. He dried them away with his sleeve and sniffed. He wasn’t sure if he sniffed because he was crying or because it was seriously dusty in here. Or maybe it was both.

He folded the photograph, which already had a crease in the middle from being folded so much, and put it in his pocket for now. Even after all the years of thinking she was dead, he still kept that photo as it was the only piece of evidence he had left of his mother’s existence since his boss nearly removed everything with her in it to avoid questioning from anyone who dared ask.

Rei shut the desk lamp off and gently shut the door on his way out. Since he didn't feel like going back to the bathtub, he decided that he would just sleep on the couch so he grabbed a blanket and pillow from the storage closet and set up a small makeshift bed on the couch. He debated if he should play any video games in his waking hours, but decided against it since the noises from the game would probably wake Miri and Kazuki up, and that was the last thing he needed.

Even as he rested his head on the pillow below him and pulled the blankets over himself, his thoughts still wouldn't cease. Maybe Kyu-chan was right. Maybe he should pay a long delayed visit to his mom. Kazuki could meet her and Miri would get to know her grandmother, at least. Maybe she would love them as much as he loves them? Maybe she’ll adore Miri and spoil her rotten? Maybe she’ll teach Kazuki new cooking recipes and share her secrets?

The more he thought about his little family getting along, the more he felt his eyes beginning to grow heavy and allow the darkness of slumber to consume him. Maybe in the morning he’ll tell Kazuki and Miri what’s been on his mind.

Rei woke up to the smell of omelets being made and the sound of sizzling from the pans. He could hear Kazuki faintly humming to himself as he flipped one omelet in half and served it on a plate. Rei groaned sleepily as he sat up, Kazuki noticing him right away. Miri was at the table in her high chair eating away at her omelet.

“Morning, sleepyhead!” Kazuki said with a cheerful smile.”About time you finally woke up!”

“Morning, Papa Rei!” Miri exclaimed, waving her plastic fork in the air before resuming on her omelet.

“Morning.” Rei mumbled back, his hair a wild mess. He heard Kazuki approach the couch and he leaned over to peck Rei on the temple.

“I made breakfast.” He told him.

Rei mumbled a “thanks” before he got up from the couch and sat down with Kazuki and Miri at the kitchen table. As they enjoyed their food, Miri chatted with Kazuki about what Anna-sensei has in store for her and her classmates. Rei tried to pay attention to the conversation, but he zoned out and thought about the whole thing with his mother instead. Miri would get a bit upset when he wasn’t listening, thinking that he found her topics uninteresting and would receive a nudge of the elbow from his boyfriend. Even after apologizing to her, he still felt a bit guilty, but she was always quick to forgive, and so was Kazuki.

When it was time for Miri to head off to daycare for the day, Kazuki took her on the bicycle while Rei stayed at the apartment. He agreed to clean up after breakfast while they were gone, and while he wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of doing house chores, he was doing his best for Kazuki and Miri.

As he scrubbed the dishes clean, his thoughts kept wandering back to his mom. The more he thought about how much she would love Kazuki and Miri, the more he wanted to go and visit her. Something about seeing her bond with the two people he loves so much made his heart do backflips.

Kazuki returned about an hour later, just in time for Rei to finish drying the last of the dishes. The sight of Rei doing house chores made Kazuki proud of seeing how much his boyfriend actually wanted to help around the apartment.

“Thanks for doing the dishes, babe.” He said with a stretch and collapsed on the couch out of exhaustion. “I was going to do them when I got back.”

“I got bored.” Rei replied and he set the dry dish down near the sink and headed over towards the couch and sat next to Kazuki, who immediately wrapped an arm around him. “And besides, you’re tired after taking Miri to daycare.”

“True.” Kazuki kissed Rei on the top of his head. “Appreciate it still. Glad you’re making an effort to help around.”

Rei shrugged. “I try.”

“You’re doing great at it, love.” Kazuki relaxed, leaning on Rei’s smaller body and sighed happily. Sometimes just holding Rei like this was enough for him.

Kazuki grabbed the remote for the TV off the coffee table and turned on one of his favorite television shows. It was one both he and Rei could enjoy together since their tastes were so contrasting. Rei leaned on Kazuki and relaxed as the episode played. What started off as a simple, innocent episode got really dark and depressing halfway through. The main character witnessed their mother get shot and killed by one of their enemies. Rei clutched onto Kazuki’s hoodie while watching the main character weep over their mother’s dead corpse. He was once again reminded about how his own mother faked her death to get away from her abusive relationship, find happiness again, and live a better life.

“Rei?” Kazuki asked as he reached for the remote and paused the episode. “You okay? I could feel you tense under me.”

“Yeah, sorry.” Rei said, a bit embarrassed. “I was just…. thinking about my mother.”

“Oh, Rei, I’m sorry.” Said Kazuki, completely shutting the tv off. “I should’ve realized that this episode may have been triggering for you. Shit, you should’ve said something to me and I would’ve shut it off.”

“No, you’re fine, Kaz.” Rei says, using the nickname Kazuki loved hearing from him. “It’s not your fault. I was just…. thinking.”

“Do you maybe want to share with me?” Kazuki asked, holding his partner’s hands with his. “I’m all ears, you know. I’m here for you.”

Rei weakly smiled. It was very faint, but it was there. “I’m…. I’m thinking about going to see her.”

Kazuki’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Rei nodded. “Yeah. I… thought about it a lot, and… I’ve made up my mind, Kaz. I wanna see her.”

“And… you’re positive about all of this?” Kazuki asked him. “I mean, do you even know where she lives?”

Rei nodded. “I read her file. It says she lives in the countryside of Kamikōchi, hidden away in the mountains.”

Kazuki then frowned. “Rei, I… I don’t know. That’s really far from here, and what about Miri? She still has daycare. And what about our jobs?”

“Miri can afford missing a few days, right?” Rei asked. “And we can let Kyu know. He’ll understand.”

Kazuki sighed. “You really have your heart set on this, don’t you?”

“I… I really do, yeah.” Rei said, looking down at his lap. He sighed. “Look, I know it sounds like a lot, and it is, but I need to know if she’s really out there and if she’s safe from him and–.”

“Okay.”

Rei looked up, shocked. “W–what?”

“I said ‘okay.’ We’ll go see her.” Kazuki repeated. He stroked Rei’s hands and smiled at him. He was really sold on the idea? “I can contact Kyu and let him know to give us some time off and maybe a bit of extra cash so we have enough for the trip. And I can let Anna-sensei know Miri won’t be in for a couple of days, maybe say it’s a family emergency or–.”

Kazuki was cut off by Rei practically throwing himself onto the blonde, wrapping his arms around his neck and hugging him closely. Kazuki was stunned for a moment before relaxing and hugging his boyfriend back, rubbing his back lovingly.

“Thank you, Kaz.” Rei mumbled in his shoulder. He sounded a bit emotional, but he never admitted to it.

“Of course, Rei.” Kazuki kissed him on the pulse point of his neck. “You know you and Miri’s happiness are my top priority. I love you both more than anything in this world, and all I want is to see you both happy.”

Rei didn’t say anything back, and instead just snuggled further into the older. “We’ll tell Miri at dinner.”

“Yeah, we will.” Kazuki said with a nod.

Rei faintly smiled again. He felt relief knowing that Kazuki was willing to do whatever for Rei so that the younger could finally see his mother for the first time in 21 years. And what made it even better was that Miri was going to be tagging along for the ride.

Later that afternoon, it was time to pick Miri up from daycare. Both Kazuki and Rei were waiting outside the front entrance, taking the car with them instead of the bicycle since one bike couldn’t hold three people. 

As soon as the daycare workers & teachers were escorting kids out the door, they spotted their Miri holding onto Anna-sensei’s hand and smiling so brightly when she saw them, waving her free hand in the air.

“Papa Kazuki! Papa Rei!” She exclaimed as she lightly pulled on Anna-sensei’s hand to reach her papas. Once Anna-sensei let go of Miri, she was running over to them, hugging both of their legs tightly and smiling up at them. “I missed you, papas!”

“Aww, Miri!” Kazuki exclaimed, on the verge of tears as he picked her up by her armpits and hugged her tightly, making her laugh happily. “We missed you so much, too!”

“Hey, cupcake.” Rei said as he stroked her cheek softly. “Did you have a good day?”

She nodded excitedly. “Yeah, Papa Rei! Miri got to color and we all sang our ABCs!”

“You’ll have to teach us when we get home!” Kazuki brightly smiled at her.

“Miri-chan has been very excited to show you her drawings!” Anna-sensei told them as she approached the little family.

“Oh, really?” Kazuki asked Miri. “We’ll have to find a special spot for them on the fridge then!”

Miri smiled and hugged Kazuki around his neck. “Uh, anyway, Miss Anna, Rei and I wanted to discuss something with you about Miri.”

“Oh?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. “What is it?”

“Me and Rei have to leave for a family get-together, so we’ll be gone for a couple of days.” Kazuki explained to her. “Miri is gonna have to miss a few days of daycare.”

“Oh, that's completely fine!” Anna-sensei replied with a smile. “You’ll need to fill out a form, but you can do that all online! But I appreciate you two for letting me know! I hope you three have fun on your trip!”

“Thank you, Miss Anna. We will.” Rei told her as he, Kazuki, and Miri said their goodbyes to her and headed for the car. They buckled Miri into her car seat while Kazuki sat in the driver’s seat and Rei sat in the passenger's seat and put the car in drive and drove back home.

“Papa Kazuki?” Miri eventually asked after a few moments of driving in silence. “What’s a family get-together?”

“It’s when families meet up with each other and catch up on lost time.” Kazuki explained to her.

“Really? Are we going on a trip? Whose family are we going to see?” She asked.

“We’ll tell you after dinner.” Rei told her while using one of his hands to hold Kazuki’s in his lap.

“Awwww. Meanie papas.” Miri pouted sadly, kicking her feet in the air. She didn’t like having to wait, but soon she was distracted by the view outside the window and humming a song to herself from her favorite tv show.

Once they all got back, Kazuki started preparing his delicious Hamburg steak, which of course got Miri all hyped up and excited. While she and Rei were waiting for dinner to be served, the father and daughter raced each other in Morio Kart. Miri got first place with every round despite Rei being far more advanced at the game than she is. Or maybe he was purposely letting her win, who knows.

“Dinner's ready, you too!” Kazuki called out from the kitchen. “Go wash up while I set everything up!”

“Alright,” Rei says as he turns off the game for now, “c’mon Miri, let’s go wash up for dinner.”

“‘K, Papa Rei!” She followed him into the bathroom where he helped her wash her hands.

Kazuki sets the table up for the three of them. Each plate has Hamburg steak with a side of white rice and vegetable, even if Rei and Miri weren’t the biggest fans of eating their greens. Once they exit the bathroom, Rei helps Miri into her high chair and sets her plate and sippy cup in front of her, her eyes immediately lighting up and her mouth watering.

“Got to let it cool first, Miri. It’s too hot right now.” Kazuki explained to her.

“Okay!” She says as she waits for her food to cool off, fascinated by the steam evaporating off of her food. “Hey, Papa?” Both Rei and Kazuki look at her. “Why were you and Papa Rei talking about family get-togethers with Anna-sensei? Are we going somewhere?”

Kazuki looked at Rei, who nodded his head at him. It was time to tell her the plan. “Well, Miri, the reason we were discussing that with your teacher is because all three of us are going to visit family.”

“Visit family?” Miri asked. Then, her eyes sparkled and she smiled. “Are we going to see Mama and Mama’s family?”

Both Kazuki and Rei looked worried. “Um, no, Miri, we aren’t. I’m sorry.” Said Kazuki.

“Oh.” Miri looked down sadly and frowned. Then, she looked back up. “Papa Rei’s papa?”

“U–um.” Kazuki said worriedly and he saw Rei begin to sweat nervously at the mention of his father. “N–no, but very close. We’re actually going to see Papa Rei’s mama!”

“Mama?” She asked, then gasped. “Grandmama?! We’re gonna see Grandmama!?”

“Yeah, Miri, we are.” it was Rei who spoke this time, giving her a warm smile. “You get to meet your grandmother and I get to see my mother again.”

“Again?” Miri asked, and Rei and Kazuki braced themselves for what she was about to ask next. “Do you not see your mama?”

“N…No, I haven’t seen her since I was your age, Miri.” Rei said as he tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “That’s why me, you, and Papa Kazuki are all going on a long road trip to go see her again.”

“Your Papa Rei really wants to spend time with his mama and reconnect with her.” Kazuki butts in. “You’ll miss a few days of daycare, which is why we told Miss Anna while we were picking you up. Are you going to be okay with that, Miri?”

“Will Papa Rei be happy if we all go with him?” Miri asked him, earning a smile and a nod from the blonde.

“Of course he will, sweetheart.” He tells her. “He’ll be very happy that we’re all with him as one big, happy family.”

Miri’s smile grew and she nodded happily. “Then Miri wants to go see Grandmama, too!”

Rei leaned over and kissed her cheek, her smile only growing wider at the action. “That makes me happy to hear you say that.”

Miri giggled. “Miri’s happy when Papas are happy!”

Kazui suddenly sniffed, wiping his eyes dry with the sleeve of his hoodie. “Oh, Rei. How did we end up with such a perfect child?” He asked, his voice all weepy. Rei just rolled his eyes and chuckled while Miri laughed at her Papa Kazuki for being silly.

Once Kazuki calmed down enough, they ate dinner, which had cooled down enough to become the perfect temperature for eating. Not too hot, not too cold, but just right as Goldilocks would say Miri recounted.

After dinner was finished, Rei helped Miri get all packed up for tomorrow’s big road trip. He  packed her a few of her clothes, jackets, pajama clothes, some coloring stuff, a few movies she liked and wanted to show her grandmother, and lastly, some stuffed animals so she had some company with her along the ride there. He and Kazuki will pack the rest of her things tomorrow morning before they have to leave, and since it was the weekend, they didn’t have to worry about taking her to daycare that day.

Once she had her bedtime story and was tucked in for the night, Rei was heading for the bathroom to sleep in the bathtub like he always does every night, but Kazuki grabbed him by the wrist.

“Rei, wait.” Kazuki said, stopping Rei in his tracks. “Why don't you sleep with me tonight? It’ll be a lot more comfortable than a bathtub.”

The thought of sharing a bed with his boyfriend made him blush. Yeah, they’ve shared things before, but it still didn’t fail to make Rei all flustered. He still agreed anyway as, yes, his partner’s bed would be a lot more comfortable than his bathtub (no offense to his favorite tub at all)

After brushing their teeth in their shared bathroom (another shared thing to add to the list) and changing into pajamas, they laid down on their respective sides of the bed. Kazuki pressed Rei’s back against his chest and wrapped an arm around his waist, snuggling into the younger and holding him gently. He sighed happily and kissed the back of Rei’s head.

“This is nice.” He mumbled quietly and smiled warmly. “Thank you, Rei.”

Rei blushed and nodded. “Y–yeah, sure, Kaz.”

Kazuki placed his soft lips against the back of Rei’s neck, his other hand playing with some of the strands of black hair gently. “Are you going to be okay tomorrow?”

“Hmm?” Rei asked, turning over so he could face the blonde, who still kept an arm around him. “What’d you mean?”

“With all the traveling and reuniting with your mom and such.” Kazuki continued. “Are you gonna be alright with all of that? I know it’s a lot of you.”

“Yeah, it is, but…” Rei snuggled his way under Kazuki‘s chin, sighing contently when his partner placed a kiss on top of his head. “I want this. Not only for Miri, but for me as well.”

“You think she’ll like her? Your mom, I mean?” Kazuki asked.

Rei nodded. “Yeah, she will. I think she’ll be happy knowing she has a granddaughter.”

“And… what about me?” The blonde asked nervously.

“What about you?” Rei asked, confused.

“Will she like me?” He continued. “Do you think she’ll be happy for us, for you?”

“Kaz, stop worrying about it, you’ll be fine.” Rei says, getting his boyfriend to calm down a bit. “She’ll like you. Hopefully.”

Kazuki sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Sorry, I’m just nervous to meet her is all.”

Rei wrapped both of his arms around the blonde’s waist. “I know, but don’t worry about that now. Just relax and cuddle with me.”

Kazuki huffed out a laugh and obliged to his partner’s needs, and Rei fell asleep better than he ever had before in the warm comfort of his lover’s arms around him.

Chapter Text

The car was slowly getting all packed up and ready for the long road trip that awaited them. Kazuki prepared a nice, big breakfast for all of them so that their tummies were full and happy. Him and Rei had already let Kyu-chan know about their plan, and just like they hoped, he gave them some money in case they needed gas or dinner somewhere (and a little bit extra just in case Miri wanted to get something on their way up). Just from the look on his face, both men could tell that he was happy, not only for Kazuki and Miri finally getting to meet Rei’s mother for the first time, but also for Rei agreeing to go see her like he hoped he would.

And soon after breakfast was finished and the dishes had been washed and dried, it was time to leave. Kazuki packed the last of their stuff and even double checked the apartment to make sure nothing was left behind while Rei helped Miri get dressed in her signature orange sweater, shorts, black leggings, pom-pom boots, and her pink coat.

Rei carried Miri down to the car, Kazuki tagging behind with a suitcase of Miri’s things in hand. As they rode the elevator down, Miri babbled on and on about how excited she was about meeting her grandmama and asked over a million questions.

“Does Grandmama look like you, Papa Rei? Is she nice? Is she pretty?” She asked him. He listened carefully to every single one of her questions, answering them as honestly as he could despite not remembering much about her.

“Here.” Rei held onto her with one hand while he dug through his coat pocket and pulled out the polaroid photograph, unfolding it and showing it to her. “I have a picture of your Grandmama.”

Miri’s eyes immediately light up. “WOW! Papa Rei, she’s so beautiful! She does look like you! Is that you as a baby?”

Rei smiled and nodded. “Yes, that’s me, Miri.”

“AWWW! Papa Rei’s so cute!” She exclaimed happily.

“Let me see!” Kazuki squeezed in between the two so he could also get a look at the picture. He melts at the sight of his boyfriend as a small child. “Awww, Rei! You looked so adorable!”

“Shut up.” Rei mumbled, embarrassed and cheeks a light shade of pink. The elevator doors open and they exit.

“Aww, c’mon! I’m allowed to call my beautiful and handsome partner adorable!” Kazuki says as he kissed each of Rei’s pink cheeks before kissing Miri’s so she didn’t feel left out.

Once they arrived at the car, Kazuki loaded up the last of the stuff they needed into the nearly full car. It was almost filled to the brim with suitcases and other necessities that they would need. The trunk was full and some of the other stuff had to be moved to the back of the car where Miri’s car seat was, but since that was in the middle seat, the suitcases wouldn’t crowd her and she still had room to move around if she needed to.

Rei placed her down into her car seat and buckled her in. She was kicking her feet excitedly in the air, singing about how excited she was to finally meet Rei’s mama. It made Rei’s heart melt. Seeing her excited to see his mother made him feel like he made the right decision on wanting to see her.

“We’re all set!” Kazuki shouts as he buckles himself into the driver’s seat. “Ready when you are, partner!”

“I’m ready, Kaz.” Rei said as he got into the passenger’s seat, buckling himself in. Kazuki takes his hand into his, holding it while one hand is on the steering wheel, backing out of the parking spot. Miri waved “bye-bye” to their apartment complex as they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the busy road.

“Road trip! Road trip!” Miri exclaimed happily as she extended her arms into the air. “We’re going on a road trip! We’re going on a road trip!”

Kazuki laughed. “We sure are, pumpkin! You excited?”

“Yeah, Papa Kazuki!” She says. “Miri’s very excited to be traveling with Papas!”

Kazuki almost wants to start bawling his eyes out at how precious their little girl is, but his eyes stay dry so that he can see the road and not crash within the first few minutes they’ve been driving. He tightened his hold on Rei’s hand, not too hard but applying just the right amount of pressure so that it was comforting for Rei.

Rei returned the same amount of pressure to Kazuki. Was he nervous? Sure he was. Why wouldn’t he be? He was going to see his mom for the first time in 21 years. But was he happy? Yes, he was. Happy that he gets to reunite with his mom with his loved ones with him along for the ride. 

He smiled and watched the road in front of him as they were now leaving their hometown and into the unknown. This was it. They were really about to do this. No turning back now. He was going to see his mom. He, Kazuki, and Miri were gonna do this, as a family.

You got that long hair, slicked back, white T-shirt

And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt

And when we go crashing down, we come back every time

'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style

Rei was pulled out of his nap by the Taylor Swift song that was playing on the radio and Miri singing along to it (although she messed up some of the lyrics). He groaned and sat up in the passenger’s seat, stretching his arms in the cramped space as best as he could.

“Rise and shine, my love.” Kazuki said in a sweet voice. 

“Mmm… where are we?” He asked sleepily, wanting to take a second nap right then and there. He yawned loudly.

“Just leaving Yamaguchi.” Kazuki explained. “Still got maybe about 9 more hours to go, but it’s all gonna be worth it, right?”

Rei smiled tiredly and nodded. “Yeah, it will be.”

“Papa Kazuki?” Miri asked from her car seat. “I’m getting hungry.”

“Okay, Miri, we’ll stop somewhere when we find a good restaurant.” Kazuki told her. “Hey, Rei? Pull out your phone and see what’s around here.”

Rei did as he was instructed and started searching for restaurants around them. Of course, there was the usual McDonalds and other fast-food chains, but he knows Kazuki would never approve of that, saying how the food is fake and “not made from natural ingredients” as he quoted. So then he switched over to diners or cafés instead because at least Kazuki could tolerate the food from there.

“There’s a place about an hour and a half from here called “Kitty’s Café”. Looks like they do a lot of breakfast stuff.” Rei explained.

“Oooh! I want breakfast for dinner!” Miri exclaimed excitedly. “I want pancakes!”

Kazuki chuckled. “Alright, alright, we’ll stop there, but it’s gonna be a while before we get there, Miri.” He tells her. “You think you can wait until we get there?”

“Umm, I don’t know, papa.” She says, looking down at her grumbling tummy. “I’m hungry.”

Rei then reached back behind his seat for the cooler bag, unzipped it and started digging through it for something. He got out a GoGurt tube that was berry flavored, still cold and covered in condensation, opened it and handed it to her.

“Here, you can snack on this until we get there, okay?” He asked, earning a happy nod from her.

“Okay!” She takes the GoGurt and immediately starts sucking the berry flavored yogurt out of it, smiling happily. “Yummy!”

“Good thinking, Rei.” Kazuki told his partner, smiling proudly at him.

“Thanks.” Rei replied back, feeling almost proud of himself for coming up with a quick and easy solution. Plus, he wasn’t just going to let his daughter starve to death in the backseat. What the hell kind of parent would he be if he did that?

The first thing that everyone noticed when Kazuki pulled into the parking lot of the diner was the ongoing cat theme it had. The front sign was the face of a cat and the windows were decorated with paw print stickers. The entrance even had three whiskers on each door.

“Huh.” Kazuki said. “Well, I guess the name “Kitty’s Café” makes sense now.”

“Hungry! Let’s go!” Miri exclaimed from the backseat of the car.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming. Hold on” Rei said as he unbuckled himself and got out of the car, also starving.

He unbuckles Miri from her car seat and once she’s free she starts racing around the car, waiting for her Papa Kazuki to get out so they can go eat and also to stretch her legs out, clearly not liking being trapped in a car unable to move for hours at a time.

Once the family of three enters inside the little restaurant, they are immediately in awe at the sight before them. Now Kazuki knew why it was really called Kitty’s Café, the place was home to over a dozen cats . 

There were cats everywhere. There were cats sitting on the tables, cats sleeping on top of the counters, sleeping in cat trees, and some were eating out of the silver bowls on the ground. There were cats of all different species and fur colors, each one wearing beautiful pink or blue glittery collars and their fur looked so soft and well-brushed.

“There’s… there’s cats….” Kazuki said in shock.

“This place is packed with furry little angels.” Rei said. Kazuki could catch a glimpse of happiness in his eyes.

“CATS!!!” Miri shouted excitedly, getting the attention of everyone inside. “IT’S SOOO CUTE!!!!”

“Okay, Miri, let’s use our inside voices, alright?” Kazuki told her as he adjusted his hold on her. She was practically jumping excitedly in his arms, kicking her legs in the air all happily. Then, she’s suddenly tugging on his hoodie.

“Papa Kazuki, I need to go potty!” She tells him, a look of desperation written all over her face, immediately erasing away her excitement for all the cats.

“Okay, we’ll go look for it.” He says. He looks at Rei, who is still admiring the place for all of its cats. “Rei, can you pick out a seat for all of us?”

“Huh?” Rei asked, turning to look at him. “Oh, yeah, sure.”

Kazuki smirked and nodded his head playfully. At least Rei was happy about all of this. Kazuki is just praying that he won’t be sneezing all night with how many cats there are.

Once Kazuki and Miri head for the restrooms, Rei finds a seat next to the digital fireplace where two comfortable looking bean bag chairs lay still on the ground, one of them had a cat sleeping in the center. Rei chose to sit on the ground, and once he did, at least 10 cats came running up to him, wanting to greet him. One climbs up on his lap and purrs happily as he pets her long, soft cream-colored fur. The other cats rub up against his clothes, leaving some of their fur behind. Rei felt like he was on Cloud 9 and never wanted to leave.

Kazuki returned with Miri holding onto his hand, and wants they see the sight of Rei buried under over a dozen cats, on laying directly on top of his face and coils only see the faint smile on Rei’s lips, Kazuki chuckled and Miri started giggling hysterically. She climbs up on the sofa chair next to her and once she sits down, a chocolate-colored cat with beautiful, silky long fur immediately greets her and she pets the adorable feline.

“Is Papa Rei okay?” Miri asked as she smiled and laughed at her Papa Rei being so happy and in love with life right about now.

Kazuki rested his elbow on the edge of Miri’s seat and smiled at his boyfriend so lovingly. “Yeah, Miri. He’s fine.”

Once all the commotion with the cats settles down, the family sits in one of the dining areas and order their food. Miri bounces in her seat and occasionally crawls under the table to sit with her other papa behind going back to where she originally was. Kazuki does lightly scold her, but he just decides to let her be when she doesn’t listen to him after the second time.

When their food arrives, Miri settles down in her seat next to Kazuki and almost starts drooling at the sight of her cat and fish-shaped pancakes with a side of eggs and bacon along with a strawberry milk to drink. Kazuki just ordered toast and eggs along with a coffee and even he couldn't help but admire the way Miri’s food looked, almost jealous that hers looked way more appetizing than his plain looking meal. As for Rei, he ordered the same exact thing Miri got, but he got a berry-flavored smoothie to drink instead.

“It almost looks too good to eat.” Rei said in awe as he admired the way his food looked.

“Yeah, it does. You two are lucky!” Kazuki said. He picked up his buttery toast and took a bite out of it, chewing it slowly as if he was a food critic taste testing the food here.

“How is it?” Rei asked. Miri also looked up at him, waiting to hear his answer.

“It’s not bad.” Kazuki replied once he swallowed his food. “A little light on the crispy side, though.”

Rei sighed. “Always have to complain about something when we go out to places.”

“Hey! I do not!” Kazuki defended, playfully kicking Rei’s leg under the table. “Sometimes food at other restaurants doesn’t taste as good as mine does!”

“MMMM! I LOVE it, papa!” Miri said with a mouthful of her pancakes, her eyes sparkling with glee like they always did when she ate something truly delicious.

Kazuki chuckled at his daughter. “Well, I’m glad you do, Miri, but please don’t talk with your mouthful. It’s not polite.”

She nodded and swallowed. “Sorry!”

Kazuki just laughed and ruffled her hair, making the young girl giggle happily. “Well, Rei? How’s yours?”

Rei picked up a piece of pancake covered in maple syrup and ate it. Like Miri, his eyes also light up. Although not sparkling like hers, they still shined brightly with glee before he started shoving the rest of the pancake into his awaiting mouth, eating it like a starving man.

“Rei, slow down, please.” Kazuki scolded his boyfriend lightly. “I don’t want you choking.”

Their waitress came over with a small dish and set it on their table. “Here’s your catnip, sir!”

Kazuki looked down at the dish, confused. “Um… we didn’t order this, ma'am.”

She paused for a minute before she started laughing. “It’s for the cats, sir! It comes free with every meal you purchase here!”

“Oh!” Kazuki said once he understood. “Sorry.”

Miri laughed and pointed at him. “You were gonna eat it!”

Kazuki blushed a deep red. “Hey, no I wasn’t!” He playfully starts poking at Miri’s sides, making her laugh even harder. She tries to crawl under the table, but Kazuki prevents her. “You’re not getting away from me that easily, you little tater tot!” 

He pulled her into his lap and started tickling under her armpits. Some people in the restaurant were staring at them, some were a little annoyed while others were smiling and laughing at the family’s antiques. Even their waitress was enjoying the sight in front of her.

“Such a cute little family you are!” She said before leaving them to enjoy the rest of their meal.

“Kaz, let her breathe.” Rei said, laughing in between his sentence and was smiling at his boyfriend being adorably silly with their daughter.

Kazuki stops tickling Miri so she could have a moment to get some oxygen into her lungs, still giggling every now and then, her smile wide and bright, melting the hearts of both assassins.

Once Miri had calmed down, she resumed eating her pancakes. As they were all eating, some cats came up to them, meowing and wanting the catnip on their table, so Rei poured them some onto the ground and they were immediately eating it and rolling around in it. Miri giggled at the cats acting all silly and high on catnip.

After they finished their meals and paid, they stayed a bit longer to pay with the cats before using the bathroom one last time before leaving and getting back in the car and on the road again. Kazuki even bought Miri a little cat plush and keychain souvenir and Miri sang happily in the car about how excited she was to bring her toy and keychain to show and tell at daycare when they got back.

Hours of driving later went by, the sun had set behind the clouds and mountains. Despite the numerous coffees Kazuki had, he still found himself yawning loudly while driving. It worried Rei a bit seeing how tired his partner was (and how his bladder wasn’t practically on the verge of exploding).

“Maybe we should find a hotel to stay in for the night?” He asked the blonde, who replied with a yawn and a nod of the head.

“Yeah, I’d like that a lot.” Kazuki tells him, making Rei immediately whip out his phone and start looking for hotels around the area.

They ended up finding a nice hotel that wasn’t too pricey and had breakfast in the mornings. While Rei was carrying a sleeping Miri with one arm and a suitcase of their stuff into their room, Kazuki was rushing to unlock their room for the night and headed straight for the bathroom. And when Rei heard the trinkling of urine hitting the toilet bowl and a moan of relief from Kazuki, Rei shook his head and huffed out a laugh.

Once Kazuki is finished, coming out of a restroom with a sheepish grin and a blush on his cheeks, he wakes Miri up so he can give her a small shower and change her into some clean pajamas and help brush her teeth.

The family of three was so tired that all of them fell asleep on the same bed as soon as their heads touched the soft pillows, snoring contently and holding each other. Miri’s one hand gently gripped Rei’s hair while her other was grasping Kazuki’s hoodie. Both Kazuki and Rei reeked of bodily odors and cats, but they were too tired to care right now. In the morning, they’ll get showers and change their clothes. Right now, they just wanted to sleep and get some energy for tomorrow, not knowing what the day will bring them next.

In the morning, Miri was the first to wake her papas up, complaining about how they were both stinky. Once they had finished groaning and stretching their aching muscles, Kazuki and Rei both hopped into the shower together. It wasn’t the first time they’ve showered and seen each other naked before. Plus, since they were alone together, they could both catch up on some much needed making out, and it wasn’t long until heavy panting and quiet moaning filled the already steamy bathroom.

“Papa Kazuki?” Miri asked once they were both out of the shower, changing into cleaner clothes inside the closet.

“Yes, honey?” Kazuki asked as he finished drying his hair off with a different towel, wearing a pair of shorts and a white tank top.

“Why were you and Papa Rei making weird noises in the bathroom?” She asked, making both men immediately freeze with pure fear and blushing like crazy.

“Uh.” Rei spoke, breaking the awkward silence and trying to come up with a good excuse. “W–we were, uh,... wrestling.”

“Wrestling?” Miri asked, tilting her head to the side, confused.

“Y–yes, Miri! Papa Rei and I were wrestling!” Kazuki butts in quickly, going along with Rei’s excuse. “Play wrestling!”

“In the shower?” Miri asked again, her questions clearly weren’t helping her papas any less.

“Um…. yes?” Both Rei and Kazuki said in unison. Miri paused for a moment, as if trying to process everything all at once before giggling and smiling.

“Papas are weird and funny!” She said, making both her dads sigh with relief. “I’m gonna go pee now!”

She ran into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, and once she’s out of sight, Kazuki slapped Rei’s arm, looking a bit mad and flushed a bright red.

“Wrestling? Seriously, Rei? THAT’S the best excuse you could come up with?” Kazuki whispered-shouted at his boyfriend.

“I panicked, idiot!” Rei whispered-shouted back at the blonde, his face also a deep red. “What did you want me to tell her? That we had sex in the shower?”

“NO! Of course not!” Kazuki replied back, his blush turned even darker when Rei mentioned the word ‘sex’ to him.

“She bought it, didn't she?” Rei kept going. “It stopped her from asking any further questions.”

Kazuki opened and closed his mouth, like he wanted to say something, before sighing in defeat. “Yeah, it did. You’re right.” He suddenly smirked and trapped Rei against the wall. “Still, thanks for helping me let out all that built up tension.”

“K-Kaz.” Rei stuttered out and blushed. “Miri could come out at any moment.”

Kazuki didn’t answer and instead smashed his mouth against the younger one, sleeping his tongue inside his partner’s wet mouth. Rei moaned at the sensation and wrapped both his arms around the blonde’s neck, deepening their kiss. Kazuki lowered his hands down Rei’s back and lightly grasped at his ass, pulling them closer until their hard lower regions were touching each other.

“Can’t help it that you’re this fucking hot, baby.” Kazuki whispered into Rei’s ear, making him shutter at the sensation.

Just before they could continue any further, however, they heard the bathroom door open, cursing both men to quickly pull apart. Kazuki collapsed onto the bed, covering himself up with a pillow while Rei used his discarded hoodie to do the same.

“Papa Rei, can you help me pick out an outfit?” Miri asked, only to stop in her tracks when she saw her papas condition. “Why are you both covering your private parts?”

“M–Miri, um,” Rei spoke, cutting her off from any further questioning again. “I’ll help you pick an outfit out in a bit, I–I just need to relax for a bit. Why don’t you play with your toys until then, okay?”

Miri looked confused, but still nodded enthusiastically. “Okay!”

She skipped into the other room where her suitcase of toys were and got out her stuffed bunny and her new cat toy Kazuki got her yesterday. She set up a scenario where she introduced all of her toys to their newest member of the group, introducing the cat plush to every single one of her stuffed friends.

After a few minutes went by, Miri’s stomach started rumbling. She needed some breakfast and the hotel’s breakfast only ran until 9 am so she and her papas needed to act quickly if they wanted some food to eat. When she got up, she announced to the other side of the closed door that she was coming into the room, and Rei and Kazuki gave her the thumbs up to come in. She slid the door open and saw her Papa Rei combing his messy hair and her Papa Kazuki smiling proudly while looking exhausted.

“Why do you look so tired and happy, Papa Kazuki?” She asked before Kazuki gently slapped his hand over her mouth.

“Okay! So, who’s hungry! I know I am! Why don’t we all go down and get some breakfast! Check out is at noon, so we wanna be out by then! Let’s go before anyone asks anymore embarrassing questions, please!” And with that Kazuki was hurrying out the door with Miri in tow and Rei held himself back from wanting to laugh so hard right then and there, which only Kazuki and Miri have ever done.

After eating breakfast at the hotel and checking out of their room at noon, they set off on the road again. While Miri did complain about getting back in the car again, both her papas distracted her by playing a game of “I Spy” to pass some time. They were now passing through Kyoto, which meant they only had 4 more hours to go until they arrived in Kamikōchi.

“Papas? I’m thirsty.” Miri said. Since they were now leaving Kyoto, there most likely wasn’t going to be much on the way to Nagoya.

“Um... okay, well….” Kazuki says from the driver’s seat, keeping his eyes glued onto the road. “What would you like to drink?”

“I want Bubble tea!” She exclaimed with a smile.

“Uh, Miri, I don’t know.” Kazuki says worriedly. “What if you choke while drinking the bobas?”

“I’ll be careful!” She shouted back, a little bit too loudly for his and Rei’s liking, but they didn’t comment on it. “Papa, pleeeeease? I’ve always wanted to try one! Taiga-kun’s had one and he says they’re really yummy!”

Kazuki and Rei glanced at each other before the blonde sighs. “Alright, Miri. We’ll keep an eye out for one.”

Miri gasped excitedly. “Really!? Yay! Thank you, Papas! I love you so much!”

Kazuki smiled as he watched her through the rear view mirror. “Love you, too, Miri.”

While her papas were driving and looking out of any place that sells Bubble tea, Miri watched the scenery outside the window. With her car seat being  low to the ground, all she could see was the blue sky, clouds, and some trees they passed by.

Within half an hour of driving went by and not a single Bubble tea shop could be seen. Miri almost lost hope in wanting to experience her first Bubble tea for the first time, when Kazuki finally spoke.

“Miri, look!” He exclaimed happily whilst smiling. Miri poked her head up and smiled widely, her eyes glittering joyfully.

In the distance in front of them was a real Bubble tea shop. It was all pretty and pink with a little axolotl on the sign and even the roof had the face of an axolotl on it, giving it away what the shop’s main theme was. It also looked like there was a gift shop inside, too!

“Bubble tea!!” She exclaimed loudly and kicked her feet in the air. “Let’s go, papas! Let’s go!”

“Alright, alright, we’re going, Miri.” Rei said calmly to her. “Just hold your horses.”

While Kazuki was pulling into the [parking lot of the Bubble tea shop, or “Pearl's Finest Bubble Teas & Ice Creams” as it was really called, Miri could hardly contain her excitement, quite literally jumping up and down in her car seat. Once the car was in park, she begged on her papas to set her free from her seatbelt, and it was Rei who opened the car door next to her and unbuckled her out of her seat. As soon as he set her down onto the ground, she was rushing towards the entrance, shouting at her papas to “hurry it up and quite being slow.”

“Alright, c’mere, princess.” Kazuki says as he lifts Miri up by her armpits, the young girl giggling as she was lifted into the air and placed on his shoulders. “What would our little angel like?”

Miri’s eyes scanned the menu by the counter before she lit up, pointing at something on the menu. “I wanna try a strawberry milk boba!”

“Alright, we’ll get you that.” Said Rei. “What else do you want? You want any ice cream?”

Miri nodded her head enthusiastically. “Uh-huh! I want chocolate!”

“Yeah, that does look good.” Said Kazuki, referring to the ice cream he could see in the freezer. “Also, the black milk tea sounds pretty good, too. Rei, are you getting anything?”

Rei hummed. “Chai milk tea sounds good. And I just want vanilla ice cream.”

“Just vanilla?” Kazuki asked his boyfriend. “Is that all you want?”

Rei paused, thinking, and then answered. “....With rainbow sprinkles and hot fudge on it.”

Kazuki flashed his signature grin. “Now we’re talking, babe!”

Miri suddenly gasped loudly and tugged at Kazuki’s hair. “Papa Kazuki! Down! Down!”

“Ow–! Okay, Miri! Don’t pull on my hair, please, okay?” He says as he sets her down onto the floor of the shop. She immediately runs into the gift shop. “Rei, will you stay with her while I order our stuff?”

“Yeah sure.” Said Rei, already making his way inside the gift shop with Miri. Kazuki sighed but smiled. He swears, sometimes his partner is literally just a full-grown adult child sometimes. But he knows Rei was deprived of a lot growing up and needs this experience.

Rei spots Miri running around the gift shop and looking at all the cute and adorable axolotl plushies and accessories. She has her eyes on a particular medium sized pink axolotl plush with an adorable smile sewed onto its face and even comes with a rainbow bandana with the shop’s name on it. And she was even holding a pair of pajamas with axolotls printed on it for the plush. This shop has everything a kid could ever want!

“Papa Rei, can we buy these, pleeeeease?” She pleaded while giving him adorable (and hard to ignore) puppy eyes.

“Why don’t we ask Papa Kazuki first?” Rei tells her. He takes hold of her hand so she doesn’t run off again and the father and daughter make their way back to Kazuki, who has three Bubble teas set on the table and three ice cream dishes.

“Hey, you two!” He says happily, handing Rei his drink and ice cream. “Whatcha got there, Miri?”

“It’s a cute toy and he even comes with this bandana and pjs!” She tells him. “Can we get him, please?”

“Um… how much is he?” He asked her.

“I have no idea!” She replied, nodding her head.

“Miri, I… I don’t know, honey.” He says to her calmly, bending down to her height. “We need to watch our money and save it for gas and food.”

Miri’s smile faded and she frowned, a sight that broke both assassin’s hearts. “But… but I want him…”

“Miri…” Kazuki tucked her hair behind her ear. “I know you do, but sometimes things don’t go the way we want them to. We can’t be too disappointed, though, okay? Maybe when we get back home, I’ll look online and see if I can find one similar to him?” he smiled warmly at her. “Okay, Miri?”

She was still frowning sadly but nodded. “Okay, papa….”

“I know you’re upset, Miri, but we just can’t afford to spend so much on toys and stuff.” He tells her calmly. “We have to save money for the trip and if we see anything we like when we visit Grandmama.” He grabbed the stuff out of Miri’s hands and handed it over to Rei. “Papa Rei’s gonna take all this stuff back and we can go enjoy our ice cream and drinks, okay? Doesn’t that sound fun, Miri?”

“Yeah…” Miri said, kicking the ground lightly. “I guess…”

Kazuki picked her up into his arms, handed Miri her ice cream and tea, and led her out the door, pushing it open with his back, the bell chimed as they left to go back to the car. While Rei watched them, he hated seeing how upset Miri looked. He knows that Kazuki is just trying to watch their money and save up, but seeing his daughter so heartbroken made his heart shatter into pieces.

He looked down at all of the stuff in his hands. He knew what he had to do. Ignoring his Bubble tea and ice cream for now, he takes all the stuff up to the counter and up to the cashier woman.

“How much for the toy and all the accessories that come with it?”

“Mmm! Getting black milk tea was the right idea! Everything here was amazing!” Kazuki sipped more of his Bubble tea and ate another spoonful of his chocolate ice cream. “How’s yours Miri?”

“It’s good.” Miri said in a monotone-like voice as she sat in her car seat, holding her ice cream and Bubble tea in her lap, not really eating or drinking it.

Kazuki frowned and sighed. He felt guilty for being the reason for Miri's sadness, but he knew that it was for the best. They needed to save up some money for gas and dinner tonight. He sat in the seat next to her, propping his feet up on the suitcases since it was cramped down there.

“Look, Miri.” He said to her. “I’m really sorry we couldn’t get you that toy. I know how badly you wanted him, but I promise, when we get home, I’ll look for one online and buy him for you, alright?”

Miri frowned and nodded, seeing her eyes start to tear up. “Okay, papa.”

“Hey, hey,” He gently calmed her and dried her eyes with his sleeve as her lip quivered and she sniffed. “No tears, baby. No tears. Come here.” He lifts her into his lap, setting her drink into the cup holder and ice cream onto the seat for now. He hugged her close to him. “Shhh, no crying, okay angel? I hate seeing you cry.”

“Kaz. Miri.” Rei’s voice broke through, making both the father and daughter pull away. Miri dried her eyes off and she froze. Once she saw what her Papa Rei was holding for her, her frown disappeared and turned into a bright smile and she gasped loudly, her tears long forgotten.

“Oh, my God, you didn’t.” Kazuki said once he saw what was in his partner’s arm.

It was the axolotl Miri had wanted earlier, wearing the pjs she had picked out for him and everything. He had his ice cream and boba in both hands while he held the plush under his armpit. He allowed himself to smile when he saw his daughter’s face light up with pure joy, her sadness already being put aside.

Miri was practically scrambling to get out of Kazuki’s hold in a hurry to exit the vehicle and rush over to her Papa Rei with her arms wide open in the air, her smile brighter than ever. Rei laughed lightly as he bent down, setting his drink next to him, and held out the toy for her.

“PLUSHIEEEEEE!” She exclaimed loudly as she snatched the toy out of Rei’s free hand and hugged it close to her, snuggling into its soft fur and kissing the top of its head. She sniffed the plush. “Mmm! He smells like strawberries and birthday cake!”

Rei laughed lightly again. “You like him, Miri?”

“He’s so cute! I love him!” She tells him. Miri threw herself into Rei’s arms, hugging him tightly by the neck, the plush dangling in her hand. “Thank you, Papa Rei! I love you so, so, SO much!”

He hugged her back as best as he could with an ice cream in hand. “You’re welcome, Miri. I love you, too.”

Miri pulled away with a giggle. “I can't wait to show him to all of my other toys!” She raced back over to the open car door and climbed back inside, immediately opening up her toy suitcase and pulling each of her stuffed friends out one by one while talking to the axolotl plush, her newest addition.

“Rei, how much was he?” Kazuki asked once he and Rei were by themselves.

“Around 3000¥ I wanna say.” Rei replied.

“Seriously?” The blonde asked, a bit surprised. “That’s… not bad for the doll plus all the accessories.”

“The bandana he came with was free.” Rei added. He didn’t feel it was necessary to point it out, but he did anyways.

He and Kazuki watched as Miri introduced her new axolotl toy to all of her other furry little friends. When she sees them watching her fondly, she waves to them and also uses the axolotl plush’s arm to make a waving gesture over to them, and of course neither of them resist the urge to wave back, chuckling at Miri’s cuteness.

Rei glanced up at his blonde boyfriend, noticing how fondly the older man was looking at him, his eyes said “I love you” and his smile was warm and welcoming. “What?”

“Nothing.” Kazuki says, his smile growing. “Sometimes I can’t stay mad at you when you're this soft with our darling Miri.” 

He wrapped his arms around Rei’s hips, kissing the side of his neck. Rei allowed himself to gently laugh at the interaction. When Kazuki stopped kissing his lovely boyfriend, he rested his chin on the other’s shoulder.

“You’re a good papa to her, you know.” Kazuki tells him. It made his heart skip a beat seeing Rei better himself and become better at showing emotion and love towards his family. And buying Miri that toy she wanted was the cherry on top of a delicious cake.

“Yeah.” Rei said, agreeing with the blonde. “I try.”

“You’re amazing at it, Rei.” He answered truthfully, still admiring Rei for all of his natural beauty. “Maybe even better than I am.”

Rei turned his head to face his partner. “She loves you, too, you know.”

“Yeah, I know, but she loves you even more.” Kazuki admits a bit sadly. “It’s very obvious you’re her favorite papa.”

Rei huffed out a laugh and shifted his body around so that he was looking directly into the blonde beautiful eyes. “She loves both of us equally.”

Kazuki smiled and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. She does.”

The two assassins leaned forwards and met the other halfway for a loving kiss, both of them smiling into it. They broke apart when a certain adorable child of theirs came crashing into both of their legs, still holding onto the axolotl plush in one hand. She looked up at both of her papas with hearts in her eyes.

“Papas love each other very much!” She exclaimed, smiling brightly at them. Kazuki laughed and picked her up, placing her securely in his arms.

“Not as much as we love you!” He then proceeded to peck both of her cheeks with over a dozen tiny kisses, making her squeal with laughter. He pulled Rei close to him again, pulling all of them into a group family hug while Kazuki continued his kisses.

Rei allowed himself to smile as he watched the two people he loved so much laughing and smiling. He can allow himself to show vulnerability in times like these.

As the sun was setting behind the mountains and clouds, Miri was back in her car seat, humming happily to herself while she played with her new axolotl toy while Rei watched her through the rear view mirror, smiling at the scene.

“You like your new toy a lot, Miri?” He asked her, causing her to look up and nod happily.

“Yeah! I love him, Papa Rei! I’m so happy!” She said, hugging the toy close to her. Kazuki laughed warmly, keeping his eyes on the road in front of him.

“Have you thought of a name for him yet?” He asked her. She looked at the toy’s smiling face and thought about it.

“Hmmm…. He looks like a…. A….” Miri pauses before lighting up proudly. “A Toothless!!”

“Toothless, huh?” Rei asked. “Yeah, he does look like a Toothless. What’d you think, Kaz?”

Kazuki nodded. “I agree! Toothless is a great name for him!”

Miri smiled. “Thank you, Papa Kazuki! I love him thiiiiiiiiis much!” She extended her arms wide into the air.

Kazuki could see the small but proud smile grow on his partner’s lips. He took one hand off the steering wheel and held Rei’s hand gently in his, stroking it lovingly. While it may have cost them to lose some gas money or money for a big dinner, it was worth seeing both his boyfriend and his daughter happy and smiling.

“Rei? Rei? Hey, Rei? Hey, wake up!”

Rei was being jolted awake by the sound of Kazuki’s voice whispering to him softly. The blonde shook his shoulder lightly while Rei groaned and stretched as best as he could in the cramped car.

“Hmmm… Kaz?” Rei mumbled as he yawned loudly. “Wh… where are we?”

“Outside of Takayama.” Kazuki explained. “C’mon, let’s go stretch our legs for a moment. I wanna show you something.”

Rei rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, noticing right away where they were. Kazuki had parked the car at some cliffside with a wooden fence blocking the cliff off from anyone getting hurt. It was nighttime out, and looking at the clock, it was currently 3 am in the morning.

“Come on, Rei.” Kazuki unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door. “I want to show this amazing cliff view!”

“Wh… what about Miri?” Rei asked, turning his head around to look behind him, noticing their daughter fast asleep in her carseat, still holding onto Toothless the axolotl in her arms.

“She’ll be fine, Rei. It’ll only be for a minute.” Kazuki smiled. “You go ahead and check out the view! I need to get something real quick!”

Rei, while confused, still listens to his partner, trusting him with whatever he has planned. Once out of the car, Rei properly gets to stretch out his tired limbs, glancing at Miri from the window real quickly before making his way towards the edge of the cliff.

The view from the cliff left him awestruck. It was beautiful. He could see all the citylights from a distance and the headlights of cars very far away driving real slowly. The stars were hanging above them, shining brightly down on them. The moon was hung high in the sky, illuminating the entire forest around them and the city below. It was all so breathtaking.

Rei was so lost in the view that he hadn’t even realized that Kazuki was coming up from behind and wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him close and snuggling into his boyfriend’s warmth.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Kazuki asked him, his warm breath hitting against Rei’s neck. Rei hadn’t even realized how cold it was until he began shivering. “You cold, babe?”

“Y–yeah, a–a little.” Rei said whilst shivering in his place, rubbing his arms to warm up quickly. He really shouldn’t have been wearing his thin hoodie.

“Hang on.” Kazuki pulled his own hoodie off of him and was pulling it over Rei’s body, over his original hoodie and everything. “There you go!”

Rei looked down. He was wearing Kazuki’s signature hoodie now. It felt big on him, but comfortable, and most importantly, really warm. It even still smelled like him.

“Kazuki, I…” Rei said, stunned by Kazuki’s kind gesture of offering his hoodie to him. The blonde was wearing just a simple white t-shirt. “I can’t take this. You need it more than me.”

“No, Rei. I insist.” Kazuki said, leaning his arms against the wooden fence, admiring the view below him and Rei. he sighed happily. “Besides, my clothes look cute on you.”

Rei doesn’t even bother to hide the blush appearing on his cheeks as he snuggles closer next to Kazuki, squeezing himself underneath the blonde’s arms for extra warmth. Kazuki kissed the top of his head before leaning against him, sighing contently at the feeling of his boyfriend in his arms.

“Rei,” Kazuki spoke after a long and peaceful moment of silence, removing himself away from Rei before turning the black haired man around to face him. “You know I love you more than anything, right?”

Rei looked up at him, confused, but nodded. “Yeah, Kaz, I know. You tell me every single day.”

The blonde cleared his throat. “I-I know, it’s just… I want to remind you every chance I get because… you may never know. With our jobs, our lives are always put in front of near death every single time, and… I never know if it’ll be our last together.” Kazuki’s hands hold Rei’s, their grip on them tightening lightly. “One day… you might… die… or I might die and… I really don’t want to be the one that holds your corpse in my arms… or even the other way around.” Out of nowhere, Kazuki starts crying, frantically trying to wipe away his tears, only for more to fall down his cheeks.

“Kaz?” Rei asked worryingly, using his boyfriend’s hoodie sleeve to dry his eyes. “Kazuki, what's wrong? Why’re you crying?”

Kazuki sniffed loudly. “I–I’m sorry. I–I didn’t mean to ruin the moment.” He takes a deep breath in, attempting to calm himself down before continuing. “I–I guess what I’m trying to say is… I love you, Rei Suwa, and… I never want to lose you the same way I lost my wife.”

“Kaz?” Rei asked again, growing more and more confused by the minute.

“You’re my whole world, just like she was. My sun, my moon, my stars… my whole universe…” Kazuki was crying again. “You mean everything to me, my love. You’re so much more than just my partner in crime, more than just my best friend, you’re the love of my life… my soulmate for life…” He hiccuped and dried his eyes again. “God, I didn’t think this was gonna be that difficult. Why am I such a mess?”

“Kazuki, what are you talking about? What’s going on?” Rei asked, wanting some answers right away. “You’re starting to scare me a bit.”

Kazuki sniffed and cleared his throat. “Rei, I… I want to spend every moment of my life with you.” He smiled at him so lovingly. “I want to raise Miri with you, watch her grow up with you, take her to her first day of kindergarten with you, enjoy quality family time together, walk down the aisle with you by my side, grow old with you, maybe even become grandparents together, live in a big house together, holding each other close, forever and ever, and never break apart.”

Rei stared up at Kazuki, listening very carefully to each word that came out of the blonde’s mouth. At this point, he felt his own tears brimming in his eyes, threatening to fall down his cheeks. Does Kazuki… really mean all of that?

“Do you understand what I’m saying, Rei?” Kazuki asked him. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side always. We could… quit our jobs, leave your dad’s organization for good, raise Miri as her dads and… be a real family. Together.” He holds his partner’s hands tighter. “We can start over, go somewhere, move out of the apartment,... maybe even open up a restaurant? I’ve always wanted to do that with Yuzuko before she…” He cleared his throat again and dried off his eyes. “You know what? Screw it. I’m just gonna get it over with. I don’t want to wait another minute.”

“Get what over with?” Rei asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

As if to answer his question, Kazuki smiled and got down on one knee, keeping his eyes on Rei’s indigo ones. Rei’s eyes went wide and it felt like his breath had been knocked out of his lungs. He tightened his hold on Kazuki’s free hand, feeling more tears building up when he saw his partner pull out a shiny gold band out of his pocket. Kazuki’s smile started quivering as more tears fell.

“I…I love you… so freaking much, Rei….and…. I want you to be mine forever, if you’ll allow me to be yours in return. I want you to take my last name, and forever be a Kurusu at my side.” He said in a weepy voice. “Will you marry me?”

Rei doesn’t even need to blink in order for the waterworks to start trailing down his cheeks and landing on Kazuki's hoodie. He’s too stunned and overcome with too any emotions at once to say anything.

“No…” He said quietly, his eyes glued onto the ring in Kazuki’s fingers.

The blonde’s smile dropped and his heart stopped beating, fear striking him at his very core. “What?”

Seeing his partner’s expression, Rei starts panicking, wiping away at his tears quickly. “W–wait, no! I–I didn’t mean ‘no’ as in ‘no, I don’t wanna marry you,’ I meant– I–!” He groaned loudly. “Hold on, give me a sec!”

Kazuki stared up at his partner, confused as hell as to what was going on. He watched as Rei frantically dug through his pockets until he found what he was looking for in the pocket of his hoodie, revealing it to Kazuki. In the palm of his hand was an identical ring similar to Kazuki’s, only this one was silver instead of gold. The blonde’s eyes went wide when he immediately understood what Rei was trying to tell him earlier.

“Wait… you…?” Kazuki asked.

“Yeah.” Rei admitted sheepishly. “I… I had planned on proposing to you while on this trip, but… it looks like you stole my thunder.” He laughed nervously.

Kazuki switched from looking at Rei and the ring in his hand. “Wh… wh–what… wh–?”

“I was afraid.” Rei answered for him, like he was expecting this question from Kazuki. He brings the ring in his palm up to his chest, clutching both hands into fists. “I… I never once thought that… someone like me could ever… know love, be given love, or even… show it.” Rei looked down at his fists sadly. “Before I met you, I… I was basically just a hollow shell. A murdering machine incapable of feeling or showing any emotion. Exactly what my… father… wanted me to be… So, I never thought about marriage because… I didn’t think anyone could ever love someone like me.” He bit his lip as the tears came back again. “And… and to know that… you really want to marry me…”

Kazuki immediately stops him from rambling any further about himself and wraps his arms around him tightly, letting his own tears fall onto his own hoodie. Rei weakly returned the hug, hiding his face in Kazuki’s shoulder. They’re each holding onto their rings in their palms so that they don’t lose them, lose a piece of each other.

“Rei…” Kazuki says, pulling away and tilting his chin up to face him. “Of course I wanna marry you. If I didn’t, we wouldn’t be here, would we?” They both chuckle wetly. “I know I said some things about you in the past, but… seeing you grow and change so much for me, for Miri, it made me fall for you more and more. And you buying her that toy sold me on wanting to finally make you mine forever. So,” he held up the ring in his fingers, “what’d you say, Rei? You wanna get married?”

Rei laughed and sniffed. “I think you already know that answer, Kazuki.”

Kazuki smiled and also laughed. “So, is that a yes?”

Rei shook his head playfully at his boyfriend fiancé. “Yes. Yes, I will marry you, Kazuki Kurusu. Only,” he held up his ring to Kazuki, “if you’ll marry me in return.”

Kazuki laughed loudly. “Hell yeah I will!”

Out of pure excitement and joy, Kazuki wrapped both his arms Rei up by his torso and lifted him off his feet, swinging him around and laughing loudly and proud. Rei held onto him for dear life, but was otherwise still very happy and smiling along with Kazuki. Once the blonde had settled down, he set Rei back onto the ground and took Rei’s left hand into his, sliding the gold band onto his ring finger. Rei copied the same motion and slid his ring onto Kazuki’s left ring finger. Once the two assassins finished admiring each other’s rings, they looked into each other’s eyes and met halfway through for a loving kiss, pulling each other as physically close as possible.

Miri woke up groggily in her car seat, her eyes blinded by the street light poking its way through the tinted windows. Through her sleepy haze, she noticed that the car wasn’t moving, and that Toothless had fallen out of her arms. She looked down and saw that he was on the ground.

Her small arms tried to reach for him, but due to her benign strapped into the car seat still, she found it impossible. She looked down at her belt buckle. She’d seen har papas buckle her in and out of it before, so maybe she could copy that and let herself free?

Miri fumbled with the belt buckle for about a minute or two before she finally heard it click and loosen off of her. Removing her arms out of the seatbelts, she freed herself at long last and reached down to grab her discarded toy, hugging him close to her chest.

She broke away from the stuffed toy when she heard the sound of laughter coming from outside. The car had been turned off and was way too quiet for her liking. Usually, her Papa Kazuki would either have the radio on and was chatting with Papa Rei. And since neither of them were in the front seats, she could only guess that they were the ones she heard laughing outside.

She crawled out of her car seat, Toothless still in her arms, and peaked out the window, lifting her toy up so he could also see. From the window, she could see both of her papas kissing by a wooden fence near a cliffside. She could faintly see that they were smiling, but also crying at the same time. Wait, so were they sad? Or were they happy?

Miri looked down at the handle near her. Like with her car seat buckle, she’s also seen her papas open and shut the car doors when either entering or exiting. For a 4-year-old girl, she was very observant of her surroundings and was constantly paying attention to the little things around her. So, with her tiny hands, she opened the car door, pushing it open with both of her feet as it swung wide open from the amount of force she was using.

She attempted to climb down, carefully trying to get down as best as she could with the rather not-so-big but also kinda scary high height. Her journey down was cut short when her Papa Kazuki saw her, alarmed and called her name out, rushing over to where she was and picked her up himself, carrying her and Toothless in her arms.

“Hey, baby girl.” Kazuki said to her as he brought her over to where he and Papa Rei were. “Why’re you up, honey?”

“I dropped Toothless.” She said, looking at the toy still in her arms. “And I didn’t know where you and Papa Rei were, so I got scared and tried to find you all by myself.”

“Aw, Miri. We’re sorry.” Said Rei, taking her out of Kazuki’s hold and hugging her close. “I knew we shouldn’t have left you all alone in the car.” He shot Kazuki a glare from over her shoulder.

“Hey, I did leave the windows down for her, at least.” Kazuki said, defending himself and feeling like an awful papa for leaving his girl all alone and scaring her, even if it was just for a few minutes. "I'm so sorry, Miri..."

“It’s okay, Papa Kazuki.” Miri said, poking her head up that had been resting on Rei’s shoulder to look up at him. “I forgive you.”

Kazuki sighed in relief and smiled, pulling both his fiancé and daughter into a group family hug. “Thank you, princess.”

Miri rested her head on top of Rei’s collarbone, right away noticing the silver ring on Kazuki’s ring finger. “Papa Kazuki, what’s that?”

“What’s what, honey?” Rei asked, pulling away to look down at the little girl in his arms.

“That!” She says, pointing to the ring of Kazuki’s finger. “Why is there a ring on Papa Kazuki’s finger?” She suddenly gasped loudly, her eyes now sparkling with glee. “Did you get MARRIED?!?”

Both of her dads blushed and laughed. “No, not quite, Miri.” Kazuki told her. “We got engaged.”

Miri looked up at him, puzzled. “Engaged?”

“It’s when someone asks their special somebody to marry them.” Rei explained to her as best as he could. “Papa Kazuki asked me to marry him, and I asked him to marry me.”

Miri’s eyes widened. “You BOTH ASKED EACH OTHER?!?”

Kazuki laughed. “Yeah, we did. At the same time.” He leaned his head against Rei’s.

“And did you both say yes?” She asked.

“Yes, Miri.” Rei told her, leaning into Kazuki and showed her his gold ring. “We did.”

Miri held his hand gently in hers, playing with the ring and running her finger against the shiny cold metal, her eyes still glistening with joy. She looked up at both of them, her smile growing wide and bright before she lunged at them, wrapped both of her arms around both of their necks. Her papas leaned into her touch and went in for another family group hug. 

Miri was so happy! Her papas were getting married! How exciting! She could WAIT to tell everyone when she got back! She was gonna tell Anna-sensei and all of her friends! OH! Maybe she could invite them to the wedding! Maybe she could be the flower girl! How fun! She would look so pretty in a cute dress! And eat all the sugary cake she wants and not have to worry about her bedtime! It would be the best wedding night EVER!

“Papas?” Miri asked after a while, causing both of them to pull away, looking down at her and waiting for her question. “Can I be the flower girl at your wedding?”

Kazuki’s smile only grew at her question and he and Rei chuckled. “Of course you’re gonna be our flower girl, Miri! Who else would we ask?”

Miri kicked her feet in the air and laughed all giddy like. “Yay! Miri will look so pretty as the flower girl and wear a very beautiful dress while Papa Rei and Papa Kazuki will wear tuxedos and look very handsome!”

“The handsomeness of grooms!” Kazuki said proudly, imagining him and Rei all dressed up in stylish tuxedos. Maybe he’ll wear a black one and Rei will wear a white one? It would only make sense to go that route.

Rei adjusted his hold on Miri so she wouldn’t slip out of his arms. “Alright, Miri. Let’s head back to the car.”

As they were walking back, Miri gasped loudly again. “Papa Rei, you’ll have to show your ring to Grandmama and tell her you’re getting married!”

Kazuki perks up. “Oh, yeah! Rei, you should tell her! She’ll probably be very happy for you!”

Rei looked a bit nervous at the thought of imagining telling his mom that he was engaged to his partner in crime, but he nodded in agreement. He must have guessed Kazuki could sense his worriedness and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey,” He said to him, smiling warmly at him, “I’ll be there for you, okay?”

Rei gave Kazuki a small smile and nodded. “I know, Kaz. I know.”

They both smiled up at each other and leaned in for a quick peck on the lips before opening the back door and were about to set Miri back into her car seat before she started thrashing and complaining.

“Nooooo! I wanna sit with Papa Rei!” She whined, clearly not wanting to go back into her car seat.

“Miri, you need to–.” Rei tried, but he was cut off by more complaining and whining.

“Nooooooooo! I don't wanna, papa! I don’t wanna!” Okay, clearly being trapped in the cramped backseat wasn’t fun for a small child her age, and Rei and Kazuki were learning this the hard way.

“Okay, okay.” Rei gently calmed her down. “You can sit in the front with me.”

She immediately stopped whining and was smiling again. “Yay! Thanks, papa!”

“Sure thing, Miri.” Said Rei, getting into the passenger’s seat with Miri in his arms, buckling himself and the young girl up as best as he could to fit two people. “Just make sure you stay on my lap the entire time, okay?”

Miri nodded. “Okay!”

Kazuki shut the door and buckled himself into the driver’s seat, putting the key in and starting the car up again. “Alright, lovely family of mine! Back on the road again!”

“Yay! Toothless is ready!” Said Miri, her pink axolotl toy still in hands, hugging it close as she settled down into Rei’s lap.

Kazuki laughed and drove back onto the road again. He kept one hand on the steering wheel while his other was gently holding onto Rei’s, stroking the engagement ring while Rei’s fingers brushed against Kazuki’s. About an hour into the drive of just holding each other’s hands, it didn’t take long for both Miri and Rei to fall back asleep to the soft hum of the road.

“Rei? Wake up, hon.”

The sound of Kazuki’s voice woke Rei up again, but at least this time he wasn’t being shaken awake like at the cliffside. Rei groaned and sat up with a yawn. He couldn’t really stretch his limbs as he currently had Miri sound asleep in his lap. He cracked his neck and noticed that the sun was slowly starting to come up, meaning that it was morning out. He also noticed the house in front of them with the lights on. The car was in full park.

“Kazuki? Where are we?” Rei asked. He noticed the serious look that his fiancé was currently giving him, and Rei knew what his answer was going to be.

“We’re here.”

Chapter Text

Rei stood at the front of the stairs, his nervousness building up more and more by the second. He was going to be the one to break the ice and knock on the door of his mother’s house. He could fairly hear the sound of mugs clanging together, guessing that she was making her morning beverage. Rei stared down at his feet, gently biting his lip. He had never felt this much fear before until now. He’s experienced terror before when Miri got sick and he was by himself to look after her, but it was never this bad before.

“Rei?” Kazuki broke the silence, placing a hand on his fiencé’s shoulder. He held Miri in one arm, still passed out asleep, her head resting against his shoulder as a tiny bit of drool trailed down the corner of her lip, Toothless still in her arms. “Are you okay?”

Rei breathed slowly and swallowed. “I–I… I’m scared, Kazuki…” He softly tells him, the way he spoke is almost hard to hear. 

Kazuki gently gripped his partner’s shoulder. “Rei… it’s alright.” He smiled. “You can do this. Me and Miri are here for you.”

Rei breathed in and out before nodding slowly. “Yeah… it’s now or never,... right?”

Kazuki nodded. “You got this, love. We’ll be right behind you.”

Rei looked up at the door. He was right. It was now or never. He and his family didn’t come all this way just to back out now. His mother needed to know he was doing well and was alive.

So, with slow and hesitant steps, Rei went up the stairs. The wood below him creaked with each step he took, the sound alone could’ve given away his presence. He looked behind him where Kazuki and Miri stood at the bottom of the steps. Kazuki smiled warmly up at him and nodded. Rei was really glad they came along with him, reminding him that he wasn’t alone on this journey.

He now stood in front of the door, his hand curling up into a fist and slowly raising it. He hesitated for a moment. What was wrong with him? Why was he so scared to see his own mother? He’s an assassin, for crying out loud. He was trained to not show fear, so why was he experiencing this much emotion? 

His arm started shaking as it hovered over the door. He swallowed and breathed in and out slowly, attempting to calm himself down. It was the same breathing techniques that Kazuki taught him to help him calm down in the aftermath of a bad panic attack. It really was now or never. No turning back now.

Pushing all of his emotions down and aside, Rei held his breath and finally, after much hesitation, knocked on the door.

He could hear shuffling from the other side, and a faint “Coming!” while he waited for the door to open and reveal the woman he’s traveled all this way to see. He occasionally looked back to make sure Kazuki and Miri hadn’t left him, and sure enough, they were still there, waiting at the bottom of the steps, Kazuki winking at him and reminding him that he’s got this.

When the door finally opens, the woman on the other side is finally revealed. Rei’s almost taken away by how gorgeous his mom really was, with her long black hair tied into a bun, the streaks of gray hair visible, and those same exact eyes he has. She wore a long black kimono and even in her old age, she still remained the same beautiful woman in the photograph he carried around for years.

“Hello. Can I help you?” She asked him, holding a half full mug of what appeared to be freshly brewed tea. Rei had to take a moment before getting out of his trance, processing the fact that his very mother stood before him, alive and doing well it seemed.

“Um…” Rei said, finding it hard to speak at the moment. “Are… Are you Suwa Hanako?”

“Yes, I am.” Hanako replied with confusion. “I’m sorry, but do I know you?”

Rei reached a trembling hand into his coat pocket, reaching for the photograph that he’d brought alone with him on this trip. It was more for a “just in case” situation, like right now, in case she didn’t remember him right away. Not that he blames her, of course. It has been over 21 years after all, and the last time she saw him was when he was 4.

He pulled the polaroid picture out to her. Hanako looked at it confused, but slowly accepted it, not really sure what was happening. With one hand, she unfolded it, and Rei could see her eyes widen and her breath caught in her throat. She looked at the photo for what felt like forever before she met his eyes again, her mouth slightly agape.

“It…It’s me…” Rei felt like he was going to combust with emotions at any given moment. “Mom.”

The grip Hanako had on her mug loosened, causing it to slip out of her hand and smashing onto the ground, glass pieces scattering everywhere and the tea inside of it spilled out onto the patio. None of the liquid landed on either him or his mom, thankfully, but it still made Kazuki flinch by the sudden noise and also feeling glad that Miri was a heavy sleeper.

“R–Rei?” Hanako asked, her voice beginning to tremble. She glanced down at the photo of the mysterious young woman holding her baby boy in her arms. She recognized it anywhere. But… was this really her son?

She reached her shaky hand up and gently cupped his cheek, stroking away the tears that Rei didn’t even know had fallen until now, the wetness spreading against her thumb. Just one look into the young man’s eyes and it was enough for her to start crying as well, only her tears weren’t of sadness, but of happiness. Her smile grew the moment she recognized the man in front of her truly was her one and only son.

“M–Mama…” Rei said in a weak voice as Hanako gently cupped his other cheek with her other hand, drying away more and more tears that Rei couldn't be bothered to control. This was his mother, after all, the very woman who birthed him into this cruel world, raised him, showed him what the real love of a parent felt like, and cherished every moment he had with her.

Rei’s legs were shaking violently as Hanako pulled him into a tight embrace, both mother and son holding onto each other like the other would fade away as soon as they broke away. Their legs gave out and they both collapsed onto the patio, still tightly holding onto each other.

Rei freely allowed himself to break down in her arms. He would allow himself just this one moment to let out all of those emotions towards his mother that he’s held down for years. He sobbed into her shoulder as she stroked his back with one hand while her other carded through his inky black hair. Her tears were dampening the back on his shirt, and so were his, but neither of them cared.

“Rei…” His mother wept as she pulled away from their hug, smiling warmly at her son, brushing some hair out of his eyes. “My baby… my beautiful baby boy… It really is you!”

Rei sniffed and nodded. “Yeah… i–it’s really me, mom.” He hiccuped. He had a death grip on her kimono as a tiny smile grew on his lips. He would allow himself to be vulnerable in front of his mom.

“My little Rei… Look how much you’ve grown!” Hanako says with a laugh. “SUch a handsome young man you’ve become!”

Rei huffed out a wet laugh as his mother pulled him into another warm hug. As the mother and son reunited, Kazuki watched from the sidelines, tearing up himself and bringing his sleeve up and drying them away. Miri began to stir in his arms.

“Papa…?” She mumbled tiredly and yawned, snuggling into his shoulder. “Are we there yet…?”

“Good morning, sweetheart.” He whispered, kissing the top of her forehead. “We finally made it.”

Hanako was the first to break away from the hug again when she finally did notice Kazuki and Miri standing at the bottom of the steps. She looked up at Rei, wondering who they were. Rei stood up, helping his mother to her feet, and helped down the stairs before placing a hand on Kazuki’s free shoulder. He could sense his partner’s nervousness and squeezed his shoulder in reassurance.

“Mom, this… this is Kazuki.” Said Rei. Miri clutched onto her toy and shyly hid her face in her Papa Kazuki’s hoodie. “My partner and…” He lifts his left hand up, revealing his engagement ring to her. “Your future son-in-law. And this is Miri, our daughter… your granddaughter.” 

Hanako’s eyes welled up with tears as she brought both of her hands up to her mouth, covering it in shock. Not only was her son in a relationship, and not only was he engaged to said man, but they also have a daughter together? He had a family of his own now? He started a new and better life for himself? She had both a suture son-in-law as Rei put it, and a granddaughter who looked so cute and adorable? It was hard to see her ever growing smile behind her hands.

“H–Hello, ma’am.” Kazuki said nervously as Miri poked her head up from his shoulder. “It’s an honor to meet–.”

He was cut off by Hanako throwing herself into both him and Miri, pulling them into a tight hug similar to the one she gave Rei. He could feel her tears landing on the back of his shirt. Miri even poked her head up when the older woman hugged them.

“Oh, my goodness!” Hanako said, breaking away from the hug and cupping both of Kazuki’s cheeks into her hands. “Look at you! Such a fine and handsome young man you are!” Then, she turns her attention to Miri, lightly pinching the girl’s cheeks, causing her to giggle happily. “And you, my sweet little angel, are just the CUTEST child I’ve ever seen!”

“Grandmama!” Miri exclaimed happily, holding out her arms for Hanako to pick her up out of Kazuki’s hold and smutter the young girl in over a dozen kisses all over her face and cheeks. Miri laughed as her grandmother placed wet kisses all over her.

Kazuki and Rei both looked at each other and smiled lovingly. Rei had told him nearly a dozen times whenever Kazuki would worry about her not liking him that she would, and she did. In fact, she didn’t just like Kazuki, she adored him, loved him with every fiber in her body and gave him the same amount of love and affection that she gave Rei. It made Kazuki miss this sort of parental love and care, thinking if his own parents were ever like this before they abandoned him.

And seeing Miri interact with Hanako was the best part. Just seeing her finally getting to meet a family member outside of her papas was rewarding and made their trip here worth it. She laughed and giggled as Hanako continued to kiss the girl over and over and snuggle her in her hold. Kazuki wiped at his eyes, which were filled with even more tears that wanted to fall.

“Miri is so happy to see you, Grandmama! So is Papa Rei!” Miri said once Hanako ceased her kisses. “And so is Toothless!” She held up her pink axolotl plush for her grandmother to see.

“Oh, and did he come up all this way to see me, too?” Hanako said as she shook the doll’s hand.

Miri nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! He did!”

Hanako laughed and kissed the toy on the nose. “Well, I’m very glad he could come all the way just to see me! I love the extra company!”

“She has even more company for you in her suitcase.” Kazuki pointed out with a smile.

Miri gasped. “I do, Grandmama! Miri can’t wait to show you all the toys Papa Kazuki got me!”

“Does he buy all your stuff for you?” Hanako asked with a laugh. Miri really was the sweetest and cutest child she’s ever met.

Miri nodded. “Mmhmm! He does! I love him so so much, Grandmama! And he makes amazing food! French toast and Hamburg steak are my favorites!”

“Oh, really?” Hanako asked, smiling. “Well, maybe he could teach me how to make them, then. I would love to try his cooking.”

Kazuki’s lips quivered up into a smile hearing all the lovely compliments he was receiving. Miri’s were always occasional, but hearing Rei’s mom, his future mother-in-law, say that she wants to try his cooking, it was a huge bonus.

Rei huffed out a laugh upon seeing his partner’s happiness and leaned into his side. “See? Told you.”

“Well, why don’t we all go inside and make a yummy breakfast?” Hanako asked, turning her attention to the two men behind her and Miri. “I bet you’re all starving after that long trip.”

Kazuki nodded in agreement. “We’d love that, ma’am.”

“Oh, Kazuki, honey, please!” Hanako said, placing a hand on his cheek. “Just Hanako is fine. Or even mom if you want. You’re my family, too!”

Kazuki almost wanted to cry all over again, but he held back and nodded. “O–of course, Miss Hanako.”

Hanako smiled at him and gave him a gentle pat on his cheek before pulling her hand away. “Maybe you can teach me how to make your famous french toast, as Miri puts it.”

Kazuki’s eyes light up excitedly. “Yes, of course! I’d love nothing more!”

Hanako held Miri in her arms as she along with Kazuki and Rei at her side walked back inside. They all stopped when they noticed the shattered mug on the ground.

“Sorry about your mug, mom.” Said Rei. “We can get you a new one, if you want.”

“Oh, no need.” She replied. “It was old and losing its value anyways. Besides,” she rubbed her nose against Miri’s cheek, making the little girl giggle, “I have something even better!”

Rei smiled (he would allow himself to just this once, he kept reminding himself) and felt Kazuki place a hand on his shoulder as their little family headed inside Hanako’s house for breakfast.

“The french toast was amazing, Kazuki!” Hanako said with a new mug of tea in her hands, watching him from the living room area doing the dishes for her. “You don’t have to clean up for me, though.”

“Thank you, Miss Hanako!’ Kazuki said from the sink in the kitchen. “And I insist, really! I don’t mind doing a bit of house chores! I’m used to it, after all!”

Hanako laughed lightly, leaning back onto her rocking chair while Rei sat on the couch next to her and Miri played with some old toys her grandmother dug up from the attic. She said that they were her Papa Rei’s toys that he used to play with and that she needed to be careful with them as they were delicate and held a lot of personal memories for her.

“You’re gonna marry a good man, Rei. I see why you said yes to him.” Hanako said to her son.

Rei lightly laughed. “Yeah, he… he really is.”

Hanako smiled and placed a hand on his. “You really love him, don’t you?” She asked. Her smile was warm and knowing.

Rei slowly nodded back. “Well, yeah. What is there not to love about Kazuki?”

“I see it in the way you look at him.” She tells him. “You look at him like he hangs the moon and stars, and it’s beautiful. I’m very happy for you two that you found each other and have a beautiful daughter.”

Rei almost tears up at hearing her words. “Do… Do you think I’m… I’m doing a good job as a dad to her?”

Hanako patted his hand. “Rei, of course you are.” She looks at Miri, who isn’t paying any attention to them. “I can tell that she’s going to grow up to become a very beautiful, smart, and mature young lady. “ She looked back up at Rei, who is listening very intensely. “You and Kazuki have given her a loving place to live, you both take care of her, and give her the best in the world.” Her voice starts to sound like it’s on the verge of an emotional breakdown. 

“But… But my job–.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Hanako interrupted him. “You have given her everything I wasn’t able to give to you growing up… and I am so proud of the person you’ve become, Rei. My beautiful son.”

Rei got up from his spot on the couch and got on his knees to pull his mother into what felt like their millionth hug since reuniting, where Hanako allowed herself to quietly weep into his shoulder, combing the back of his hair with one hand. Rei could feel his lip quivering slightly as a single tear rolled down his cheek and landed on Hanako’s kimono. The mother and son eventually broke away when they felt a pair of tiny arms wrap around them. They both looked down to see that it was Miri, her eyes full of worry and were also glossy themself.

“Grandmama? Papa Rei? Why are you sad?” She asked them both. It was Rei who picked her up and placed her on Hanako’s lap so she could hug the girl against her chest, who returned it right away.

“Nothing is wrong, my dear Miri.” She said into the girl’s hair, kissing the top of it while keeping a hand on Rei’s shoulder. “Your Papa Rei and I are just happy to finally have each other.”

Miri nodded and rested her head on her grandmother’s chest. “Grandmama? Can you tell me a story about Papa Rei?” 

Hanako smiled down at her granddaughter. “Of course, honey! I would love to!” She said happily. “What story would you like to hear?”

“Any!” Said Miri. “I wanna learn more about my papa!”

Hanako laughed. “Okay then. Let’s see…. Ah! There was once this time that your papa…”

As Hanako told Miri a story about her Papa Rei when he was her age, Kazuki had finished up the dishes and joined his family in the living area and sat down next to Rei, putting an arm around his partner’s shoulder. Rei leaned into his fiancé as he listened to his mother reminiscing on his past life. 

It was all a bittersweet feeling, to say the very least. Deep within Rei, he knew that eventually, him, Kazuki, and Miri would all have to travel back home at some point. They still had jobs, afterall, and there were still enemies out there watching their every movement and waiting to strike at the right given moment.

But Rei doesn’t want to focus on any of that right now. He doesn’t want to think about going back to his miserable life with his so-called “father” and doing his dirty work for him. He just wants to focus on this very moment happening right now, with his mother, daughter, and fiencé at his side always. He wants to spend every moment with Hanako and regain that lost bond that was taken away from him at such a young age.

And as long as Mir and Kazuki were at his side, forever and always, promising Kazuki many more years of love and happiness, escaping from their current life and maybe open up their own restaurant together one day, Rei knew that it would all be worth it in the end.