Post by More than Music on Jul 4, 2010 12:40:09 GMT -5
This is kind of Cassayaki stuff, but Erin's in it... For some reason, I wrote it in Cassie's POV, so I'm hoping I didn't mess her up... I'm thinking it isn't too bad, but correct me if I'm wrong. x)
Cassie is Poppy's and Erin is GG's and Yukito is Mascii's. Duh. The rest are mine.
Cassie walked in, hanging up her jacket at the door and slipping out of her shoes. One glance around their house and she felt at home again. There was something about the simplicity of pictures hanging all over the wall, pictures Kagayaki had photographed and pictures she had painted... It was more home than any other place had been.
She sighed, running her hand along the kitchen counter on her way to the bedroom, smiling softly. Nothing felt out of place until she spotted something on the dresser. Cassie slowly approached it, taking the small set of pastel keys in her hands. They were a child's toy, but they meant much more than that.
Instinctively, she glanced around. Had Kagayaki gotten home early, or forgotten them entirely? He always took them to work with him... in fact, he took them with him anywhere she'd allow him to. She couldn't think of a day that had gone by he hadn't slipped them onto his belt in the morning, not taking them off until he went to bed. Years had gone by since he'd first gotten them. They were very important to him.
But he couldn't be home already. His shoes weren't at the door. And he always had a cup of tea after he got home from work, also always washing his cup and putting it in the strainer on the counter. It wasn't there. Cassie bit her lip a little. 'He must have been in a hurry when he'd left for work,' she thought, somberly. 'He probably didn't realize he'd forgotten them until he got there. I bet he's been having a bad day too.'
She dressed slower today, wondering what kind of a mood he'd been in when he got home. Something in her wanted to make something special for dinner, to cheer him up, but sometimes... sometimes he didn't want to be cheered up at all. So she'd just have to see once he got there.
No sooner had she sat down in her chair in the living room than a knock came on the door. Cassie frowned. Had he forgotten those keys too? Taking in a deep breath and letting it out as a sigh, she tried to think of something comforting to say, but nothing came. She opened the door carefully, only to find Erin on the other side instead of her husband.
“Oh, Erin!” she said, admittedly a little surprised – it showed in her voice too; she hoped Erin wasn't offended.
“Of course it's me, silly,” Erin laughed, pushing her way in cheerfully. “I need your help with something... you have a minute?” A little withdrawn, Cassie slowly nodded. Erin sent her a sideways look of confusion. “What?”
“It's just...” She looked down at the keys in her hands with a grimace. “It's nothing.”
Peering at the keys, Erin seemed even more confused. “Those are the keys Kagayaki's always wearing around, right?” She smiled. “Kind of silly if you ask me, since y'all don't even have kids yet.”
Cassie's lips parted in a little understanding smile. “They have a story behind them,” she assured her friend, leading the way into the living room again. “He hasn't forgotten them before, not one morning since he got them.” The irony of that was in the fact that forgot his door key more than he forgot these things, though they only served an emotional purpose. Sometimes she'd get home to find him on the doorstep, just fiddling with those little plastic keys, smiling like they were worth more than all the money in the world. She'd once joked he remembered them more than he remembered her, but he'd given her a stare of disbelief. “It's not the same,” he'd protested. “Anyway... you're part of why these keys are so special.”
“So, are you gonna tell me what the story is, or just stare at them like they're a new-born baby?” Erin teased. Cassie jumped a little, pulled from her reverie.
“Oh, yeah...” She laughed at herself for getting so caught up in her thoughts. “Well, he was at the daycare a couple years ago...” Cassie rose to her feet, holding the keys close as she looked up at a picture of her and Kagayaki. It was just a normal day he'd managed to take a picture of them together, his head laying on her shoulder. In the bottom right corner she could see the keys in plain view, his jacket pulled up just enough to reveal them. “There were these three little girls... You could ask him their names, he'd remember them no problem.” She paused a moment, staring into Kagayaki's eyes in the photo. “They handed him these keys and told him they were 'the keys to their hearts', and he 'had to keep them safe until they needed them.' He agreed but asked who the fourth key was for.” She glanced back at Erin, who sent her a bright smile. “They said 'It's Cassie's, of course!' Well, he told them he already had that...” Cassie's eyes fell to her wedding ring as she sat back down. “We weren't even engaged then...”
Realizing she'd faded out, Cassie cleared her throat and continued. “They told him it was a spare, in case he lost the other one.”
Erin burst out into fits of giggles, hugging her knees. “That's so cute, Cassie!” she squealed happily.
“Yeah... And so he's kept them with him ever since,” she said in a sigh, looking towards the door. “Keeping them as safe as he could... for those girls and for me. But he forgot them today...”
“Cassie...”
She looked up to see a very amused look on Erin's face. “Hm?”
“Have you told him yet?”
Cassie's face broke into a smile. “No, and you better not leek my secret.”
Erin just beamed. “Can I be there?”
“Um...” Cassie shrugged. “I was kind of hoping to make it a, you know, private thing.”
Pouting, Erin looked down. “Okay...”
“Hey!” Cassie laughed out in protest. “You were the first to know, weren't you?”
“Yeah... but I wanted to see his face...”
“Well, I'm sure you'll get to see a similar face when he tells you what he found out.”
“Maybe...”
From outside, the sound of a bus coming to a screeching stop caught them both by surprise.
“He's home,” Cassie breathed, getting to her feet and rushing to the door. She had it open even before he'd gotten out of the vehicle, an almost-smile on her face, holding her breath. “Kagayaki!”
He looked up slowly, smiling tiredly, nodding as he slowly came out the doors and up the sidewalk. No salutations, no cries of joy. Kagayaki didn't come running up the sidewalk like he did so often, craving to embrace her as soon as he could. Not that he didn't enjoy his work, but... they just loved each other so much.
Cassie frowned. “Kagayaki?”
Erin's hand came to rest on her shoulder, making Cassie glance back to see her friend's comforting smile. “He's fine, Cassie.” Her words were whispered and sincere, but it didn't reassure Cassie much.
She bit her lip, taking a few steps forwards. Unable to stop herself, she ran forwards, wrapping her arms around Kagayaki as tightly as she could. It nearly knocked him over, forcing a laugh out of the tired man, who returned the almost-desperate embrace.
“You miss me so much?” he laughed breathlessly, his normal warmth appearing for a moment, sapped of energy.
“I always miss you,” she assured him, moving so she could kiss his mouth. “How are you feeling?”
He frowned, looking a little dazed. “I... I forgot...”
“Your keys,” she finished softly, smiling. “Yeah, I know. I found them when I got home.” Cassie held them up, and Kagayaki took them carefully, holding them against his chest. His other arm still held her tight, and they walked up to the house with no regards to how long it took them. “You sure that's all that's bothering you?”
Putting on that smile he always did when he wasn't feeling well, Kagayaki didn't say anything at first.
Erin caught it too; Cassie saw her soft smile disappear when she saw the look on his face. “What's wrong?”
“Laura was sick,” he sighed as Cassie shut the door behind them. “And May and Will...” He let go of Cassie for a moment to take off his jacket and shoes. They both did it out of mechanical habit now. Cassie wasn't even sure when that started, but they always did it that way. “I... I had to watch their babies too...”
Erin's eyes widened. “That's a lot of kids!”
Cassie wrapped her arm around Kagayaki's waist, putting a temporary smile on his face she'd only seen there when they held each other close. “I bet you pulled it off like a pro,” she put in confidently.
He just laughed at first, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “I... I pulled it off...” Kagayaki shook his head. “That is all.”
Erin still looked like she'd seen a ghost. “Seriously... isn't that, like, thirty kids? That's a lot of toddlers!”
Kagayaki nodded, making it to the kitchen chair. Cassie didn't think he would have made it any farther if he'd tried. “It is...” He put his face in his hands, breathing deeply. Cassie made his tea for him, knowing he didn't have the strength to do it himself. “Still... I did... I did...”
“You're probably really, really tired...” Erin began, moving as if to leave. “Hey, Cassie, I'll... I'll come back tomorrow or something... I just needed your opinion on this thing for my baby shower.”
“No, no, it's okay!” Kagayaki insisted, putting his hands up. “You can stay, you can stay! I don't mind!”
Cassie put her arm around Kagayaki's shoulders, setting the tea cup in front of him. She sent Erin a thankful smile. “Yeah, tomorrow would be better. Thanks for understanding.”
“I-Imouto...!”
“Later, Niisan!” Erin chirped.
“Hey, you be careful out there. Remember, you've got a baby in there again!”
Erin just laughed in response, and the door shut behind her. A few moments after she'd gone, Kagayaki turned to look at Cassie, eyes wide. “Cassie...” he whispered. “Erin-chan shouldn't leave... I'm just... I'm just...”
“You're just completely worn out,” she said, sending him a look. “Drink your tea. She can come back tomorrow.”
He frowned pitifully, picking up the cup and sipping at the warm drink. “Still shouldn't have to send her away...”
“I didn't,” Cassie corrected him quickly, putting away the sugar. “And don't mutter into your cup at me.”
“Not muttering...”
“You're still doing it,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It's fine. She's practically family. She'll be back. It's not like it wasn't her suggestion.”
“She's gonna be grumpy tomorrow.”
“No she won't. Stop worrying so much.”
Kagayaki peered over his cup at her. “Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“I don't worry so much as you,” he tried, looking down at his tea.
Cassie laughed. “You're worrying about offending Erin, and I worry more?”
Kagayaki paused, obviously defeated. “Eto...”
“That's what I thought you'd say,” she teased, pulling a chair next to his and sitting down. She leaned on her elbows, her face sitting in her hands as she watched him drink. “Anything else I can do for you?”
He hesitated, looking around. “A... ano...” He started laughing and it spread to Cassie, who promptly smacked him over the head.
“Come on, think of something else!”
“Oh. Something else... Hm...” He pretending to be thoughtful but she knew better. “Here.” Kagayaki held out the empty cup. “Wash it for me, please?”
She nodded, getting up and taking it over to the sink. “You know, I think I figured out why those keys matter so much to you.” Cassie glanced back to see Kagayaki's confused face.
“I told you already.”
“I don't think it's because they're the 'heart keys' of four girls,” she said, dancing around the point with her smile. “I think it's a bit more than that, isn't it?”
Kagayaki looked a little helpless. “What?”
Cassie sat beside him again, slowly leaning over to kiss his cheek. “It's because you want kids so much, isn't it?”
His eyes darted away, and he shrugged like he didn't know, but his face showed the opposite. “I... I don't know...”
“We've both wanted kids for as long as we can remember, haven't we?” She reached over to take his hands in hers as a blissful smile took over his face.
“Yeah... Babies are so beautiful.”
“But we weren't ready before.”
He frowned. “No.”
“Well,” she said, barely able to contain her joy. “Things change. We know that better than most people.”
Kagayaki's eyes slowly met hers, something shining inside of them she'd only seen when he stared down at those little baby keys. “Cassie...?”
“I'm pregnant.”
His face lit up in one of the brightest smiles he'd ever worn, even contending with their wedding day. “Cassie!” Kagayaki got to his feet in a hurry, holding his hands out to her. Wordlessly, she understood, letting him pull her close. Their hands locked together, folded behind his back, they swayed side to side silently. The emptiness in the air was gently broken by the sounds of Kagayaki crying. “Oh Cassie...” His voice was thick with tears. “I've never been so happy...”
She just laid there in his arms, eyes closed. “Me neither.”
“We... We have to tell Erin-chan!” he cried, untangling their arms to pull her towards the living room. “And Yukito-kun! And Shelby-chan! And Preston-kun! And my kaachan and my tosan!” He was an explosion of emotion, his breathing unpaced and his face shining as brilliant. It was times like this she loved him most... not when he was pretending to be a child, but when he was subconsciously using the emotional range of one. “And... and... EVERYONE!”
“Erin already knows...” Cassie said, quietly. Kagayaki's eyes widened as he looked between her and the doorway. “I told her a couple days ago. I've been trying to find the best way to tell you.”
He took in a deep breath, the air in his lungs seeming to lift him upwards. “I... I have never been so happy!” Kagayaki looked around, his energy slowly draining. “I... I have never been so tired...” He leaned on her shoulder, his arms around her waist. Cassie just stood here, holding him, not needing anything.
“It's okay. Let's go lay down.” She took his hand in hers gently, slowly leading him towards the bedroom. “It's been a big day for you.”
Kagayaki nodded, still trying to keep up his previous pace but lacking the strength to do so. Sighing, he just let her lead him away, traces of his smile lingering at the edges of his mouth. Cassie kissed those shards gently, shutting the door.
And Kagayaki set the keys down on the side-table beside the bed. Both of them were content to just lay there beside each other, thoughts cascading through their heads of the not-too distant future.
“Hm...”
Cassie looked over at him, interested. “What?”
“We will need keys for the baby,” he pointed out, gesturing with a tired hand towards his own set.
She pouted a little. “Or we could give those to the baby...”
He tilted his head a little, staring at the ceiling. “Maybe...” He looked at her through the corner of his eyes, smiling. Cassie smiled back, kissing the side of his mouth. “I will... I will think about it...”
She laughed. “Okay. But we'll need more than keys.”
Kagayaki's face lit up. “Oh... baby shopping...!” He shut his eyes tight, smiling from ear to ear. “Let's go soon!”
“How soon?”
“Tomorrow!”
“Not too soon,” she laughed.
He thought for a moment, kissing her deeply, pulling her closer to him without doing so much as touching her with his hands. “What is too soon?”
“Tomorrow.”
He thought some more, then sent her a wink. “How about... day after tomorrow?”
Cassie is Poppy's and Erin is GG's and Yukito is Mascii's. Duh. The rest are mine.
Little Pastel Baby Keys
Cassie walked in, hanging up her jacket at the door and slipping out of her shoes. One glance around their house and she felt at home again. There was something about the simplicity of pictures hanging all over the wall, pictures Kagayaki had photographed and pictures she had painted... It was more home than any other place had been.
She sighed, running her hand along the kitchen counter on her way to the bedroom, smiling softly. Nothing felt out of place until she spotted something on the dresser. Cassie slowly approached it, taking the small set of pastel keys in her hands. They were a child's toy, but they meant much more than that.
Instinctively, she glanced around. Had Kagayaki gotten home early, or forgotten them entirely? He always took them to work with him... in fact, he took them with him anywhere she'd allow him to. She couldn't think of a day that had gone by he hadn't slipped them onto his belt in the morning, not taking them off until he went to bed. Years had gone by since he'd first gotten them. They were very important to him.
But he couldn't be home already. His shoes weren't at the door. And he always had a cup of tea after he got home from work, also always washing his cup and putting it in the strainer on the counter. It wasn't there. Cassie bit her lip a little. 'He must have been in a hurry when he'd left for work,' she thought, somberly. 'He probably didn't realize he'd forgotten them until he got there. I bet he's been having a bad day too.'
She dressed slower today, wondering what kind of a mood he'd been in when he got home. Something in her wanted to make something special for dinner, to cheer him up, but sometimes... sometimes he didn't want to be cheered up at all. So she'd just have to see once he got there.
No sooner had she sat down in her chair in the living room than a knock came on the door. Cassie frowned. Had he forgotten those keys too? Taking in a deep breath and letting it out as a sigh, she tried to think of something comforting to say, but nothing came. She opened the door carefully, only to find Erin on the other side instead of her husband.
“Oh, Erin!” she said, admittedly a little surprised – it showed in her voice too; she hoped Erin wasn't offended.
“Of course it's me, silly,” Erin laughed, pushing her way in cheerfully. “I need your help with something... you have a minute?” A little withdrawn, Cassie slowly nodded. Erin sent her a sideways look of confusion. “What?”
“It's just...” She looked down at the keys in her hands with a grimace. “It's nothing.”
Peering at the keys, Erin seemed even more confused. “Those are the keys Kagayaki's always wearing around, right?” She smiled. “Kind of silly if you ask me, since y'all don't even have kids yet.”
Cassie's lips parted in a little understanding smile. “They have a story behind them,” she assured her friend, leading the way into the living room again. “He hasn't forgotten them before, not one morning since he got them.” The irony of that was in the fact that forgot his door key more than he forgot these things, though they only served an emotional purpose. Sometimes she'd get home to find him on the doorstep, just fiddling with those little plastic keys, smiling like they were worth more than all the money in the world. She'd once joked he remembered them more than he remembered her, but he'd given her a stare of disbelief. “It's not the same,” he'd protested. “Anyway... you're part of why these keys are so special.”
“So, are you gonna tell me what the story is, or just stare at them like they're a new-born baby?” Erin teased. Cassie jumped a little, pulled from her reverie.
“Oh, yeah...” She laughed at herself for getting so caught up in her thoughts. “Well, he was at the daycare a couple years ago...” Cassie rose to her feet, holding the keys close as she looked up at a picture of her and Kagayaki. It was just a normal day he'd managed to take a picture of them together, his head laying on her shoulder. In the bottom right corner she could see the keys in plain view, his jacket pulled up just enough to reveal them. “There were these three little girls... You could ask him their names, he'd remember them no problem.” She paused a moment, staring into Kagayaki's eyes in the photo. “They handed him these keys and told him they were 'the keys to their hearts', and he 'had to keep them safe until they needed them.' He agreed but asked who the fourth key was for.” She glanced back at Erin, who sent her a bright smile. “They said 'It's Cassie's, of course!' Well, he told them he already had that...” Cassie's eyes fell to her wedding ring as she sat back down. “We weren't even engaged then...”
Realizing she'd faded out, Cassie cleared her throat and continued. “They told him it was a spare, in case he lost the other one.”
Erin burst out into fits of giggles, hugging her knees. “That's so cute, Cassie!” she squealed happily.
“Yeah... And so he's kept them with him ever since,” she said in a sigh, looking towards the door. “Keeping them as safe as he could... for those girls and for me. But he forgot them today...”
“Cassie...”
She looked up to see a very amused look on Erin's face. “Hm?”
“Have you told him yet?”
Cassie's face broke into a smile. “No, and you better not leek my secret.”
Erin just beamed. “Can I be there?”
“Um...” Cassie shrugged. “I was kind of hoping to make it a, you know, private thing.”
Pouting, Erin looked down. “Okay...”
“Hey!” Cassie laughed out in protest. “You were the first to know, weren't you?”
“Yeah... but I wanted to see his face...”
“Well, I'm sure you'll get to see a similar face when he tells you what he found out.”
“Maybe...”
From outside, the sound of a bus coming to a screeching stop caught them both by surprise.
“He's home,” Cassie breathed, getting to her feet and rushing to the door. She had it open even before he'd gotten out of the vehicle, an almost-smile on her face, holding her breath. “Kagayaki!”
He looked up slowly, smiling tiredly, nodding as he slowly came out the doors and up the sidewalk. No salutations, no cries of joy. Kagayaki didn't come running up the sidewalk like he did so often, craving to embrace her as soon as he could. Not that he didn't enjoy his work, but... they just loved each other so much.
Cassie frowned. “Kagayaki?”
Erin's hand came to rest on her shoulder, making Cassie glance back to see her friend's comforting smile. “He's fine, Cassie.” Her words were whispered and sincere, but it didn't reassure Cassie much.
She bit her lip, taking a few steps forwards. Unable to stop herself, she ran forwards, wrapping her arms around Kagayaki as tightly as she could. It nearly knocked him over, forcing a laugh out of the tired man, who returned the almost-desperate embrace.
“You miss me so much?” he laughed breathlessly, his normal warmth appearing for a moment, sapped of energy.
“I always miss you,” she assured him, moving so she could kiss his mouth. “How are you feeling?”
He frowned, looking a little dazed. “I... I forgot...”
“Your keys,” she finished softly, smiling. “Yeah, I know. I found them when I got home.” Cassie held them up, and Kagayaki took them carefully, holding them against his chest. His other arm still held her tight, and they walked up to the house with no regards to how long it took them. “You sure that's all that's bothering you?”
Putting on that smile he always did when he wasn't feeling well, Kagayaki didn't say anything at first.
Erin caught it too; Cassie saw her soft smile disappear when she saw the look on his face. “What's wrong?”
“Laura was sick,” he sighed as Cassie shut the door behind them. “And May and Will...” He let go of Cassie for a moment to take off his jacket and shoes. They both did it out of mechanical habit now. Cassie wasn't even sure when that started, but they always did it that way. “I... I had to watch their babies too...”
Erin's eyes widened. “That's a lot of kids!”
Cassie wrapped her arm around Kagayaki's waist, putting a temporary smile on his face she'd only seen there when they held each other close. “I bet you pulled it off like a pro,” she put in confidently.
He just laughed at first, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “I... I pulled it off...” Kagayaki shook his head. “That is all.”
Erin still looked like she'd seen a ghost. “Seriously... isn't that, like, thirty kids? That's a lot of toddlers!”
Kagayaki nodded, making it to the kitchen chair. Cassie didn't think he would have made it any farther if he'd tried. “It is...” He put his face in his hands, breathing deeply. Cassie made his tea for him, knowing he didn't have the strength to do it himself. “Still... I did... I did...”
“You're probably really, really tired...” Erin began, moving as if to leave. “Hey, Cassie, I'll... I'll come back tomorrow or something... I just needed your opinion on this thing for my baby shower.”
“No, no, it's okay!” Kagayaki insisted, putting his hands up. “You can stay, you can stay! I don't mind!”
Cassie put her arm around Kagayaki's shoulders, setting the tea cup in front of him. She sent Erin a thankful smile. “Yeah, tomorrow would be better. Thanks for understanding.”
“I-Imouto...!”
“Later, Niisan!” Erin chirped.
“Hey, you be careful out there. Remember, you've got a baby in there again!”
Erin just laughed in response, and the door shut behind her. A few moments after she'd gone, Kagayaki turned to look at Cassie, eyes wide. “Cassie...” he whispered. “Erin-chan shouldn't leave... I'm just... I'm just...”
“You're just completely worn out,” she said, sending him a look. “Drink your tea. She can come back tomorrow.”
He frowned pitifully, picking up the cup and sipping at the warm drink. “Still shouldn't have to send her away...”
“I didn't,” Cassie corrected him quickly, putting away the sugar. “And don't mutter into your cup at me.”
“Not muttering...”
“You're still doing it,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It's fine. She's practically family. She'll be back. It's not like it wasn't her suggestion.”
“She's gonna be grumpy tomorrow.”
“No she won't. Stop worrying so much.”
Kagayaki peered over his cup at her. “Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“I don't worry so much as you,” he tried, looking down at his tea.
Cassie laughed. “You're worrying about offending Erin, and I worry more?”
Kagayaki paused, obviously defeated. “Eto...”
“That's what I thought you'd say,” she teased, pulling a chair next to his and sitting down. She leaned on her elbows, her face sitting in her hands as she watched him drink. “Anything else I can do for you?”
He hesitated, looking around. “A... ano...” He started laughing and it spread to Cassie, who promptly smacked him over the head.
“Come on, think of something else!”
“Oh. Something else... Hm...” He pretending to be thoughtful but she knew better. “Here.” Kagayaki held out the empty cup. “Wash it for me, please?”
She nodded, getting up and taking it over to the sink. “You know, I think I figured out why those keys matter so much to you.” Cassie glanced back to see Kagayaki's confused face.
“I told you already.”
“I don't think it's because they're the 'heart keys' of four girls,” she said, dancing around the point with her smile. “I think it's a bit more than that, isn't it?”
Kagayaki looked a little helpless. “What?”
Cassie sat beside him again, slowly leaning over to kiss his cheek. “It's because you want kids so much, isn't it?”
His eyes darted away, and he shrugged like he didn't know, but his face showed the opposite. “I... I don't know...”
“We've both wanted kids for as long as we can remember, haven't we?” She reached over to take his hands in hers as a blissful smile took over his face.
“Yeah... Babies are so beautiful.”
“But we weren't ready before.”
He frowned. “No.”
“Well,” she said, barely able to contain her joy. “Things change. We know that better than most people.”
Kagayaki's eyes slowly met hers, something shining inside of them she'd only seen when he stared down at those little baby keys. “Cassie...?”
“I'm pregnant.”
His face lit up in one of the brightest smiles he'd ever worn, even contending with their wedding day. “Cassie!” Kagayaki got to his feet in a hurry, holding his hands out to her. Wordlessly, she understood, letting him pull her close. Their hands locked together, folded behind his back, they swayed side to side silently. The emptiness in the air was gently broken by the sounds of Kagayaki crying. “Oh Cassie...” His voice was thick with tears. “I've never been so happy...”
She just laid there in his arms, eyes closed. “Me neither.”
“We... We have to tell Erin-chan!” he cried, untangling their arms to pull her towards the living room. “And Yukito-kun! And Shelby-chan! And Preston-kun! And my kaachan and my tosan!” He was an explosion of emotion, his breathing unpaced and his face shining as brilliant. It was times like this she loved him most... not when he was pretending to be a child, but when he was subconsciously using the emotional range of one. “And... and... EVERYONE!”
“Erin already knows...” Cassie said, quietly. Kagayaki's eyes widened as he looked between her and the doorway. “I told her a couple days ago. I've been trying to find the best way to tell you.”
He took in a deep breath, the air in his lungs seeming to lift him upwards. “I... I have never been so happy!” Kagayaki looked around, his energy slowly draining. “I... I have never been so tired...” He leaned on her shoulder, his arms around her waist. Cassie just stood here, holding him, not needing anything.
“It's okay. Let's go lay down.” She took his hand in hers gently, slowly leading him towards the bedroom. “It's been a big day for you.”
Kagayaki nodded, still trying to keep up his previous pace but lacking the strength to do so. Sighing, he just let her lead him away, traces of his smile lingering at the edges of his mouth. Cassie kissed those shards gently, shutting the door.
And Kagayaki set the keys down on the side-table beside the bed. Both of them were content to just lay there beside each other, thoughts cascading through their heads of the not-too distant future.
“Hm...”
Cassie looked over at him, interested. “What?”
“We will need keys for the baby,” he pointed out, gesturing with a tired hand towards his own set.
She pouted a little. “Or we could give those to the baby...”
He tilted his head a little, staring at the ceiling. “Maybe...” He looked at her through the corner of his eyes, smiling. Cassie smiled back, kissing the side of his mouth. “I will... I will think about it...”
She laughed. “Okay. But we'll need more than keys.”
Kagayaki's face lit up. “Oh... baby shopping...!” He shut his eyes tight, smiling from ear to ear. “Let's go soon!”
“How soon?”
“Tomorrow!”
“Not too soon,” she laughed.
He thought for a moment, kissing her deeply, pulling her closer to him without doing so much as touching her with his hands. “What is too soon?”
“Tomorrow.”
He thought some more, then sent her a wink. “How about... day after tomorrow?”
