one hundred sixty
Rien was so completely and fervently grateful to be home again that it was almost surprising to him, and for a few days he just soaked it in, settling back into familiar routines and relearning everyone else’s schedules as Kippei and Shinji went back to school and work.
He himself had to deal with work to some extent as well, but he ignored it as much as possible because he was already reluctant to think about when he might have to go away again. He would never have dreamed of himself becoming a homebody, but his little family was wrapped tightly around his heartstrings now, and he would just as soon never have to leave them again.
one hundred fifty nine
Shinji thought he was managing pretty well. He was definitely dealing better than he had in the past. Kippei went to school for the day and he stayed home with Hyun-ki, who had been enough of a distraction that he’d managed not to think too much about anything besides having fun with her. Rien would be fine; it was a mantra he forced to go around and around in his head throughout the day, along with he’ll be home soon.
one hundred fifty eight
They had lazed in the hot water for a little bit, but they were both tired and Kippei nudged Shinji out of the hot tub finally, leaving their clothes where they had dropped them and wrapping a towel around him, drying him off a bit and then carrying him inside, not wanting to let go of him even long enough to get inside and get into bed, sliding into the smooth satin sheets that had been Shinji’s Christmas present and cradling him close, luxuriating in the lingering feeling of connectedness, tangled naked together beneath the sheets.
one hundred fifty seven
Shinji and Hyun-ki slept until dinner and Kippei let them, figuring the more of Rien being gone that they could sleep through, the better. And besides, if he was going to be making dinner, he didn’t really need any witnesses. Usually he let Shinji do this kind of thing when Rien wasn’t home, but he wasn’t up to it today - probably, and in any case Kippei wanted to do it for him, just… because.
Continue reading ‘one hundred fifty seven’
one hundred fifty six
As soon as the car pulled up in his old drive, Shinji felt his stomach knot and butterflies erupt. It felt both like coming home and like stepping into the lion’s den, neither feeling appreciated since home was with Kippei and Rien, not here anymore. But then the door flew open and Sada was rushing out, dressed in the strangest outfit Shinji had ever seen and he laughed, climbing out to meet her.
“What are you supposed to be, the mad hatter?”
one hundred fifty five
Shinji didn’t sleep the night before Rien had to leave. He was stressed and grumpy when Rien and Kippei finally stirred in the morning, well before dawn and he slid out of bed and went to shower, needing to scrub at the sleepy feeling of his skin, rubbing it so hard he was red and raw and then wrapping himself tightly in Kippei’s dressing gown and going to sit grumpily on the end of the bed while Rien got up.
one hundred fifty four
Rien wasn’t entirely looking forward to this conversation, but he’d promised to tell them everything he knew about Hyun-ki, and they did need to know, if only so they didn’t accidentally frighten her with things. It was, he knew, the only reason Shinji had asked at all.
He sat cross-legged on their bed as he waited for the others to join him, hugging his pillow and rather wishing he had something like Kiri to hold. He almost wanted to ask if he could borrow him, but Shinji would probably want to be holding onto Kiri himself for this conversation.
Sighing, Rien smiled crookedly at both of them as they climbed into bed, Kippei reaching over to ruffle his curls and give him a reassuring smile.
one hundred fifty three
Shinji fell asleep at some point in the little mermaid, cuddling Hyun-ki as if she were Kiri and getting the down time he so badly needed. He woke refreshed in the middle of the afternoon, feeling far more grounded and at peace with the world, though he rushed out of the now empty cubby house and sprinted into the kitchen, ignoring Rien and Hyun-ki at the table while he looked at the clock on the oven and excitedly hopped from one foot to the other. Kippei should be finished with class by now and on his way home. Shinji grabbed a glass of juice from the fridge and happily went to stare at the puzzle Rien and Hyun-ki were doing on the table.
one hundred fifty two
Coming on the back of a bad day, Rien’s phone call at a time Shinji knew was far too early in the morning was the last straw. He couldn’t go back to sleep and instead sat in the spa for two hours until it was late enough that he could call in sick, and then he crawled back into bed before Hyun-ki could wake up and see that he was quickly falling apart.
one hundred fifty one
Shinji struggled to get up the next day, moaning and bitching his way out of bed to the shower and then arguing with himself whether it was a good idea to go to school, but he couldn’t back down from it. He had to go to work for several hours in the morning, which only made him tired before he got there, and then he had a lecture that bored him half to tears. Unfortunately it made him frustrated, and he was already almost tearing his hair out by the time lunch came, and he knew he had to go to archery that afternoon.
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