[Rare-Pair Week] Day 3: Family

Title: Love You Daddy

Ship: AbeMihaShino [Abe x Mihashi x Shino'oka]

Word Count: 1215

   "Chiyo... Chiyo?" Takaya called from the living room.

   "What is it?" she answered from the kitchen.

   "She's staring at me." he said. And from his seat on the couch, he never broke eye contact with little Chisame, who gazed at him with wide grey eyes. Her older twin sister Ringo occupied herself with a jingling set of toy keys, unconcerned with her father's current predicament.

   "She probably just wants to play." Chiyo suggested. "Try giving her one of her toys."

   Carefully, Takaya nudged one of the specially structured toy balls over to Chisame with his foot. The little one looked at it blankly for a moment before returning her attention to him.

   "I don't think she wants to play." he called back to their mother. "She's just watching me..."

   "She'll whine if she needs something." Chiyo replied. "Ren will be home soon, so why don't you put on the game?"

   "Okay..." he muttered to himself, and searched briefly for the remote before finding it between the cushions. He glanced repeatedly towards the staring Chisame before turning on the TV to the baseball game coverage. As the announcers discussed the games from the past few days, Takaya listened closely, comparing the stats they rattled off with the stats he already knew by heart. Before the coverage of the next game began, he felt a little hand on his left ankle. Quickly looking down, he found Chisame still looking up at him, but this time sitting much closer to the couch, and patting his ankle repeatedly. Takaya swallowed thickly before leaning down.

   "Everything... okay Chi?" he asked, not even sure if she could understand him. But after being answered with an unintelligible coo, Chisame adjusted her position on the floor in order to slowly make her way to her feet. She clung to the couch with one hand to keep herself up, and waved at him with her other hand, as if beckoning him closer. Her cooing was insistent, so Takaya figured she just wanted attention. He intercepted her waving hand with a finger, and she gripped it tightly. It was almost a year since the two angels had entered their lives, and still he was wary about handling them. What if he accidentally hurt them? Just thinking about such a thing scared him to the point he was hesitant of even picking them up. Sure Ren and Chiyo had assured him he was doing things right, but he was still overly careful with them.

   So while he waved Chisame's arm with his finger still stuck in her grasp, he couldn't help but wonder what she thought of him, if anything at all. If only she could convey whether or not she thought he was doing a good job or not... But it was unreasonable to want that from such a young child.

   "I'm home!" he heard Ren call from the front door, as well as Chiyo welcoming him back. Wiggling his finger out of Chisame's grip, he patted her head and went to greet him as well. Chisame whined, but he assured her he'd be right back. Once he was out of sight, Chisame plunked back onto the floor and began crawling after him.

   "Welcome back." he said, giving Ren a hug and a kiss. "Long day?"

   "Horribly long." Ren groaned, rubbing his neck and leaning onto Chiyo. "I need some baby therapy. Where are the girls?"

   "Living room." Takaya replied. "Chi's been staring at me a lot, so hopefully you can figure out what she needs."

   "Oh, here she is now." Chiyo motioned to little Chisame crawling furiously towards them. With every other breath, she whined loudly, and Chiyo stepped around her to pick her up carefully. She passed him to Ren, but Chisame's fussing only increased.

   "What's wrong, Chi?" Ren asked sweetly, easily noticing how she was twisting around to look at Takaya. "You want Daddy?"

   "I really don't think that's it," Takaya raised his hands in defense, "all she's been doing is staring at me pretty much all afternoon. I don't think I could do anything--"

   "Dada!" Chisame whined, trying to push herself out of Ren's arms. "Dada, Dada!"

   "Easy there, Chi, Dada's right here." Ren responded, turning her around so she was facing Takaya. "Taka, I think she just wants you to hold her."

   "But you know I... can't." his hands shook slightly.

   "Taka, we've been over this." Chiyo said gently. "You know how to hold her properly and you've done it before." He avoided her eyes, glancing repeatedly to Chisame, who kept calling out and reaching for him. "Just once? If Chi cries you know Ringo will too."

   Taking a deep breath, Takaya held his hands out in front of him, and took Chisame from Ren as he passed her to him. Chisame's fussing didn't die down immediately, as she continued to reach until Takaya brought her up to his shoulder. She gripped onto his shirt and laid her head on his neck, saying 'Dada' over and over again. As he held her close, Ren and Chiyo guided him back to the living room, where Ringo was watching the baseball game attentively. Takaya sat back on the couch and Ren got Ringo's attention, picking her up and joining the other two on the couch. Chiyo briefly stepped back into the kitchen to check on dinner, but returned quickly to find both her husbands and children were completely drawn to the baseball game on screen. Chisame's fussing had ceased, and she sat quietly in Takaya's arms. Chiyo couldn't help but smile, and made her way to the couch to sit with them.

   After the game, the family sat together for dinner, the three parents taking turns with helping the girls keep their food off the floor. Over the past year, they had gotten pretty good at it. Though Ringo would often get her food halfway across the kitchen before it ever touched the floor. Takaya would bet good money that she'd make a damn good pitcher if she wanted to. But they wanted to discourage the food throwing for the while, so he kept that to himself.

--

   By the time it was bedtime for the girls, Chisame had Daddy pick her up a good four more times, after being encouraged by Mommy and Papa of course. She liked being picked up, because Daddy was taller and bigger than Papa, and it made her feel like a big girl, and safe too. Daddy would always wait though, to see if it was okay. Something was wrong, but Chisame didn't know what it was. Neither did Ringo, but she was more focused on getting Papa's attention rather than Daddy's.

   So when they were all getting ready for bed, and Takaya tucked Chisame into her crib, she reached up for extra kisses. Daddy was good with bedtime kisses. And before he could leave to turn off the light, and let the nightlight stars cover the room, she yawned widely.

   "Dada... wuv you." she cooed as she drifted off to sleep. And though she didn't recognize it in her drowsiness, Takaya clearly choked up at what he believed he had just heard. It could've been anything in reality, but he didn't care. Such small words just felt so validating.

   Maybe he was doing this right.