#takaaki morofushi | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

case-almost-closed · 4 months

Text

Little precious thing

Yamato Kansuke x fem!reader / OFC (no name mentioned, however some features mentioned such as hair that is at least shoulder lenght, third POV) Words: 13K A/N: This got WAY longer than I expected and I am not quite satisfied with some parts, but take it anyway.

She swallowed and looked just about everywhere but the bathroom door, behind which was a small plastic strip that had the potential to turn her entire world upside down. "I don't think I want to know after all." "What?!" Yui looked unenthusiastic and gazed at her in dismay from the sofa. "And live in ignorance until it's possibly obvious?" Silence. Yui raised her eyebrow in disbelief and looked at her. "You're not really thinking about it now, are you?"

She whimpered softly. "Anything sounds more tempting than going into that bathroom right now." Snorting, Yui started to get up. " Alright, then I'll go see." "NO!" Yui dropped back onto the sofa and stared at her.

"Well, one of us has to go and see. Otherwise we'll sit here until Kan-chan gets home. Maybe he can look." She stared at her until she stood up with a sigh, but still looked at Yui accusingly. "If I die, it's your fault." "What's the worst that could happen? Either you're pregnant or you're not. It's as simple as that." She quickly turned to Yui and stared at her, beside herself. "It's as simple as that? It's as simple as that? Yui, this is about whether I have to explain to Yamato Kansuke, the grumpy old man, that I'm carrying his child under my heart. Just the thought of it makes me panic." Yui looked at her for a few moments before smiling gently and carefully. "You really are scared." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

She laughed humourlessly. "Of course I'm scared. We've never talked about having children, it never even occurred to either of us that it might happen! What if he doesn't want to? What if he leaves me and I have to bring up this child alone? What if-"

"Hey, hey, hey." Yui reached for her hand, hoping to reassure her and, above all, calm her down. "We don't even know if you're pregnant yet. And even if you are, do you really think Kan-chan will just leave you like that?" She laughed and squeezed her hand.

"Then you don't know your husband very well. Have you ever noticed him around you? He can be having the worst day and be on the verge of throwing someone out the window himself, but as soon as you walk into the room and smile at him, he'd be ready to buy that person a drink. He's crazy about you and loves you more than anything. He won't leave."

Yui rolled her eyes. "I admit he can get a bit difficult and will probably be even more insufferable at the start of the pregnancy, though that's not your fault, it's the fact that he's insecure about it. But I can promise you one thing, he will stand behind you like a giant, fierce shadow, scaring everyone within a two kilometre radius away if they so much as look in your direction the wrong way. Kan-chan will support you in every decision you make."

During Yui's speech, tears had come to her eyes, which Yui watched in horror. "All good?" She just nodded and laughed a little ashamedly. "Everything's fine. Thank you, Yui-chan." Her friend just nodded and she turned to the bathroom door after taking a deep breath.

Yui watched her friend disappear into the bathroom and waited. And waited. And waited. She was sure that five minutes had already passed and she was beginning to feel worried. On the verge of rushing into the bathroom, she paused when her friend finally stepped out into the corridor.

In her trembling hands, she held the pregnancy test she had taken fifteen minutes earlier and her eyes were fixed on it. Yui leant forward, now nervous herself. "So, what is it?" She didn't answer and after a moment Yui was tempted to jump up and snatch the test out of her hands as she looked up and over at Yumi with wide eyes. Trembling, she lifted the test so that Yui could see it, who immediately gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth.

"Two strips." She swallowed and a smile slowly made its way to her lips as she saw Yui jump up and hug her tightly. "Kansuke darling, you're in for a surprise when you get home."

~**~

"I'm back," her husband growled as he stepped through the front door, slammed it shut a little harder than necessary, kicked off his shoes with a groan and hobbled into the living room with his crutch. Of course, she knew he was home before he had even reached the front door. She would recognise the engine of his car pulling onto the driveway and the way he slammed his door among hundreds.

Yui had successfully managed to calm her down and had also given her step-by-step instructions on how to teach Kansuke the gentlest way possible, but as soon as she had seen him arrive in front of the house, she had forgotten everything, which was why her heart was now beating up to her neck as she stepped towards him and, instead of pressing a kiss to his cheek as usual, wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

She could almost hear the cogs turning in Kansuke's head when she didn't break away from him. "Clingy today, huh?" His comment sounded gruff and disinterested, but she knew better and could hear the concern in his voice. She closed her eyes briefly before looking up, still clutching him tightly, and though there was a scowl on his face, as always, she could see the concern in his eye. "I have a good reason, Kansu."

He raised an eyebrow and let her lead him to the sofa, which she pressed him onto. That fact alone warmed her heart. A few years ago, he had taken any offer to sit down as an insult. Now he knew that she simply wanted to make him comfortable, to make him feel at ease. "Oh, really?"

Despite her tenseness, she couldn't help but snort in amusement. "Save the sarcasm, smart arse." The words may have sounded harsh, but they both knew she meant them affectionately, which is why Kansuke rolled his eye slightly and didn't give her a death stare into the sofa cushions.

Reduce the tension. That was what Yui had advised her to do and she had to admit that she wasn't doing too badly considering her current state of mind. Nevertheless, her smile slowly disappeared and she began to play with the hem of her T-shirt again. "Kansuke, we need to talk. To be more specific, I need to tell you something." The mischievous glint in Kansuke's eye faded and she could see that he was listening to her intently. "And what?"

She pressed her lips together and looked down. The words she had carefully prepared before seemed to have disappeared all at once. Kansuke's gaze was on her and with every moment it seemed to grow heavier, so she swallowed and hoped to find the right words as she spoke. "So... I, um... In the last few weeks I've... no, that doesn't sound right... you must have noticed that I... no, no... um"

She laughed nervously, scratched the back of her neck and stood up to pace around the room. . "I...I actually had the right words in mind, but...I forgot them because I'm nervous and scared of how you'll react and I don't know how to tell you...so-"

Apparently Kansuke seemed to want to rescue her, or he had had enough of her stuttering, because he leaned forward and took her hand reassuringly. She stared at it. Kansuke could certainly be quite affectionate at times, but he lived by the principle of "all or nothing", which was why such casual, almost meaningless gestures were not an everyday occurrence.

"Calm down, everything's fine. Unless you've accidentally or deliberately killed someone and now need help hiding the body, there's nothing to be afraid of." She fell silent and stared at him in disbelief. Was he serious right now? Kansuke leant back. "You didn't kill anyone, did you? Because I should warn you, I have a professional obligation-" "I didn't kill anyone, Yamato Kansuke!"

He raised an eyebrow at his full name and let go of your hand, but leaned closer to you again. "Then you have nothing to worry about." "You say that now," she muttered, knowing he was going to react a little more strongly than he thought he would. "Just spill it." "What?"

Kansuke shrugged his shoulders. "Don't beat around the bush, just rip the band-aid off." She hesitated. "Kansuke I really don't know if that's appropriate in this situation." He growled softly, clearly more impatient. " Just do it now. It can't be that bad. I mean you've hardly-" "I'm pregnant." "- whacked someone or... what?“

He blinked and stared at her, which didn't really make her feel any less nervous. At least his stare made her stop pacing back and forth. "I'm pregnant," she repeated slowly and, seeing his stare, got the impression that she really should have been more careful with him. However, he had wanted it that way.

"I was overdue and I've been feeling so sick in the mornings lately, which is why Yui urged me to take the test. I did two more just to be on the safe side. All positive." Her husband was still silent, staring at the spot where she had been standing before, not moving or even seeming to blink.

"Kansuke?" No response. Slowly, the panic inside her gave way to worry. "Kansuke, are you all right? Hey!" She snapped in front of his eye, which seemed to bring him out of his trance.

His gaze shot back up to her before he jumped up and stared down at her insistently from above, which could be quite frightening. "You're pregnant?" She nodded. Kansuke exhaled, ran his hand over his head, causing hair to fall out of his braid and took a few steps back. "How the hell could this happen?"

Although she wasn't really in the mood at the moment, she couldn't help but laugh a little. "Don't take offence, Kansu, but you were there, you should know that." He huffed and turned around, apparently thinking that humour wasn't very appropriate right now. He mumbled to himself for a few moments, pacing a little, and she could live with that. It was only when he fell silent and stopped, his eye lowered and his back to her, that she became nervous again. "Ka...Kansuke...?"

"Are you serious?" Kansuke turned round and looked her straight in the eye. There was a seriousness in his that she had seen more often, but at the same time such gentleness and even vulnerability that her heart grew heavy. He took a step towards her. "You're really pregnant? And you want to keep the child?"

She nodded timidly and Kansuke closed his eye. "This isn't a cruel joke, is it?" When he opened his eye she could see a plea, something she had never seen in him before. "You and Yui didn't make this up to get one over on me, did you?"

Her first impulse was to react outraged and berate him for accusing her of such a thing, but she paused to look at her husband. His posture was tense, his head proudly raised, but she thought she saw something else. Hope, longing. Love.

Kansuke had experienced many strokes of fate in his life, so many that he didn't even expect anything good to happen to him. He was a bit brusque and prickly by nature and had perfected this over the years, but at this moment he seemed so open and anxious, as if he expected her to laugh at him at any moment for believing that she wanted a child with him. They had been together for five years and married for three, and she knew that Kansuke still didn't understand why she had chosen him. He would probably never understand, but he didn't have to. As long as she knew, it would have to be enough.

Slowly, she stepped forward and gently placed her hand on his left cheek, running it gently over his scar. "I'm deadly serious. I'm not joking and it would never occur to me to joke about something like this." With her other hand, she reached into her jumper pocket and pulled out the three tests, which she pressed into his hand and stepped back to give him some space. "I am pregnant. And yes, I want to keep the baby, no matter what you say."

Kansuke's gaze lingered on the three small plastic strips in his hand and she knew that he was looking for a flaw that would mark the whole thing as fake. She didn't blame him, wasn't hurt, because she knew that these were just habits that came with the job.

However, when he didn't seem to find any, she saw him tense up briefly just to look at her and for a moment she thought she even caught a tear in his eye.

"You're really pregnant?" Now she could no longer contain herself and let the tears that had been stinging her eyes for several minutes roll down her face. "Yes." Her voice was little more than a breath, but it was all Kansuke had needed.

Before she knew it, he had dropped both the tests and his crutch to the floor with a slight clatter and rushed towards her. Determined but gentle at the same time, he grabbed her by the chin, pulled her towards him and kissed her. A surprised gasp escaped her.

She was used to fierce and passionate kisses from him, as well as gentle and tender ones, but never in such a combination. While he seemed to be trying to hold her as tightly as he could and keep her face in its position with his hand on her chin, she felt the gentleness and love he was trying to transmit. He lifted his other hand, placed it in her cheek and gently stroked her hand before moving it to the nape of her neck to bury it in her hairline. But they were only human and needed oxygen, so the kiss couldn't last forever.

Panting, she broke away from him, but only so far that her lips were only a few centimetres away from his. Her forehead was pressed against his and while his right hand had moved to her hip, the other was still on the back of her neck. She herself had wrapped her arms around his neck and buried them in his hair, which had now finally escaped the braid.

They just looked at each other for a while until Kansuke laughed raspily and closed his eye, smiling. "We...are going to be parents." A smile crept onto her lips as well. "Looks like it." His eye was still closed, she was now pretty sure he was on the verge of tears, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you. Thank you." He pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

~**~

She had been officially exiled to desk work. It had been pretty much the first thing Kansuke had done after they had returned to work after her confession. She had just smiled at the whole thing and had been handed money by the grumbling Yui. Yui had thought that Kansuke wouldn't do it before ten o'clock, but in the end she knew her husband a little too well.

They had decided together not to make a big announcement. If they were asked, they would answer honestly but not go any further, and they wouldn't forbid anyone to talk about it.

"They'll realise in a few months at the latest anyway. Or think that I'm just really good at cooking," Kansuke had joked, which had elicited a hearty laugh from her. They both knew that Kansuke was an amazing cook, however nobody believed it so over time they decided, that it was far more amusing fror the two oft them to let them believe that he was horrible at it.

However, they then agreed to tell one other person face to face.

Komei looked at her with a surprised expression on his face. Kansuke was leaning against his desk while she sat behind it, he had insisted that she sit. " I beg your pardon?" She smiled and leaned forward slightly. "I'm pregnant. We thought it was only right to let you know." "You thought that," Kansuke growled. "I said he'd find out on his own." She snorted. "I remember that a little differently." Instead of getting into an affectionate argument with her husband, however, she turned to Komei and stood up.

"We didn't want to make a big announcement, but Yui knows and we thought it was only fair and right to tell you in person." She emphasised the "we" explicitly. "After all, you and Yui are the only people helping me deal with this grump." She laughed lightly when she heard Kansuke's grumble, but he didn't speak up. "You're not joking?" Komei asked, but it sounded more like a statement and her lips curled in amusement. He and Kansuke were more alike than he thought. "No. I'm really pregnant."

A smile crept onto his lips before he stepped forward and hugged her gently. It came as a surprise, as he didn't normally initiate physical contact, but she didn't protest and hugged him back. As quickly as the hug had begun, however, it ended and Komei took a step back. "Congratulations. I guess that's why you've been condemned to desk duty now."

She sighed and nodded. "I figured it was something like that. However, it could have been that you were seriously ill or had a falling out with Kansuke-kun. Of course, this is a lot more pleasant." Kansuke snorted snidely. "Oh cut it out." She gave him a sharp look before turning back to Komei with a smile.

"He's happy that you're happy. He's just too stubborn to admit it." Komei smiled thinly and turned away. "I know."

~**~

It was late at night and she was supposed to be asleep, but she was lying awake in bed staring at the wall. She was lying on her side with her back to her husband, who seemed to be asleep, judging by the depth of his breathing and how limply his arm lay around her middle. He was snoring lightly and mumbling to himself, which occasionally made her smile, but in the end she always returned to the troubling thoughts that plagued her.

She usually talked about such things with Kansuke, a promise she had made to him, but she hesitated to do so. He seemed happy. Truly happy, for the first time in ages. She didn't want to burden him with her troublesome thoughts, especially not now, in the middle of the night, when he so rarely slept so peacefully.

She sighed softly and tried to turn a little more, despite Kansuke's embrace, and to her own surprise she succeeded. Her eyes fell on the clock that stood on her bedside table and bathed the bedroom in a bluish colour. It was two o'clock in the morning. She sighed again as the hand around her suddenly loosened a little.

She looked over her shoulder and saw Kansuke turn over, his brow furrowed, his sleep obviously becoming more restless. She bit her lower lip and gave up, rising as carefully as she could.

Just because she couldn't sleep didn't mean she had to wake her husband with her restlessness. On bare feet, she toddled as quietly as she could into the living room, where she sat down on the windowsill and looked out.

It was raining and the drops of water raced against the window pane, while the lanterns on the street bathed everything in a yellow-orange hue. She sat there for a while, her gaze unfocussed outside, before she got up and sat down on the armchair next to the window instead. Looking down, she drew her legs up, wrapped her arms around them and rested her cheek on her knees as the doubting thoughts returned.

What if she wasn't going to be a good mum? What if something went wrong during the birth? What if something happened to the baby? More and more doubts and worries came to her, each like a dark cloud that increasingly darkened her mind until she felt she could no longer think or breathe clearly.

The clouds seemed to suffocate her and suck all the warmth out of her until she sat on the armchair, trembling and with her eyes squeezed shut, trapped in dark thoughts.

But just when she was sure she was completely drowning in them, warmth seemed to return to her and she emerged from her thoughts. Kansuke had put his arms around her from behind and was resting his head on her shoulder. Since she had told him she was pregnant, he had become a lot more affectionate, especially when he was tired. "I woke you up, didn't I? I'm sorry." "Don't be." He lifted his head and stepped up beside her, but kept one arm around her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

She sniffled and only now realised that tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I guess 'I can't sleep' isn't good enough, is it?" He chuckled huskily and took her cold hands in his to warm them. "I'm afraid not quite."

She looked over at him and despite the dim light, she was able to see the worry in his eyes. "It...you'll probably think it's stupid, but...I'm scared." He hummed softly. "Because of the child? Stupid question, of course, about the child," he interrupted himself grumpily before looking at her with such gentleness that it warmed her heart.

"I don't think it's stupid. I actually think it's normal. I'm worried too. Will it go well? How badly will this pregnancy and the birth hurt and stress you? Will I be able to help you?“

He gently took one hand away from hers and placed it on her cheek instead. "But at the same time, I know you can do it because you're incredibly strong, in some ways stronger than anyone else I know. And I know we can do this somehow, okay? Together." He smiled wryly and wiped the tears from her face, eliciting a tear-strangled laugh. "I think that's the most romantic thing you've said to me since we got married."

Outraged, but still smiling, he straightened up a little. "How dare you? I'm a born romantic!" She laughed again and sat up, wanting to say something back, when something caught her eye. "Yamato Kansuke, you're not squatting on the floor, are you?" "..."

Horrified, she jumped up and saw that he was indeed doing it. "You'll get a muscle cramp in your leg!" Kansuke slowly straightened up and groaned softly, leaning on the armchair. "I think it's a little too late for that." He swayed slightly and without his crutch, he only had the sofa to support him, so she quickly rushed over to him and put a hand around his waist.

"I don't need your help," he grunted and tried to pull away, only to lose his balance again. "Swallow your ego and give me your arm." Kansuke grumbled softly, but wrapped his arm around her shoulders and let himself be walked back to her bedroom, groaning softly. She felt his weight on her, but also knew that he wasn't leaning on her nearly as much as he needed to, yet left it uncommented on.

As soon as they reached the bed, he let go of her and let himself fall up, eliciting a groan of pain and relief at the same time. She shook her head worriedly, but smiled as she looked at him from beside the bed. "That's what you get. Why are you squatting on the floor without your crutch?" Kansuke snarled softly. "I'm really really sorry I worry when I wake up and my pregnant wife isn't in bed and I hear soft crying from the living room."

Her smile softened, no longer mocking and annoyed, and she stepped up to the bed to take his hand in hers, which he reluctantly allowed. "I'm sorry, Kansu." He grumbled softly and she was expecting him to turn around in offence when he suddenly pulled hard on her hand.

She gasped and stumbled forwards, but was gently caught by his hands so that she landed softly next to him and not on top of him. Without further ado, he pulled her close so that her head rested on his chest and settled his head on hers to nuzzle against it.

"It's okay," he murmured, pulling the blanket over them with the hand that wasn't on her hip. They both knew they weren't going to lie that still, but neither of them cared at that moment. "Just get some rest. You have to eat and work for two people soon, so you should rest as long as you can."

A small smile crept onto her lips. "The eternal optimist." He snorted briefly before pressing an oh-so-gentle kiss to the top of her head. "Go to sleep. I'll take care of you." His hand twitched briefly from her hip to her stomach. " Of both of you."

~**~

Kansuke's gaze slid to the clock hanging on the wall before he looked over at her. "She's late." They were on their lunch break and, as usual, they ate together in his office. Normally she sat in the "guest chair", as she always jokingly called it, and he sat behind his desk, but recently he insisted that she had the "better" and more comfortable chair. She didn't complain about it.

"Kansuke, you don't really expect her to do it every week for the rest of the months, do you?" "She's been doing it for the last three weeks. Every Wednesday during the lunch break."

She rolled her eyes and turned to her food, but couldn't deny that she was also curious to see if Yui would come. As Kansuke had already said, their mutual friend had taken the time every Wednesday over the last few weeks to pop in and proudly announce how big the baby had grown.

Sometimes she even brought the objects with her to emphasise how "incredibly cute" the baby was, in her words. And even though she knew that Kansuke would never admit it openly, he was also beginning to look forward to hearing her announcement.

However, he seemed to be right, because Yui didn't turn up for the next ten minutes either, which is why their conversation moved in a different direction over time. They were just having a discussion about what to have for dinner and who would cook, chances were not good that she would let Kansuke into the kitchen.

He was just explaining to her that he could indeed cook and bake very well since his grandmother taught him, she knew that her husband was phenomenal in the kitchen, she just loved to tease him, when all of a sudden the door opened and Yui came in. And maybe she was just imagining it, but she thought she saw a satisfied smile twitch at the corner of Kansuke's mouth.

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time," Yui confessed and approached the desk behind which, by now, both the Yamatos were sitting. "Everything's fine," she assured her and smiled at her. "So, how are things?" Yui grinned and brought her hand out from behind her back, presenting her closed fist. "You're currently in your seventh week of pregnancy, which means your child is about the size of-" she opened her hand "a grape." Satisfied, Yui placed the fruit on the table so that her friend was able to take it in her hand and look at it admiringly. "Look at it, Kansu," she murmured softly. "Our little one is already so big." She rolled the grape between her fingers, unable to contain a smile. "Kind of adorable, isn't it?"

Kansuke leaned forward and took the grape from her hand to look at it with boredom, at least that was what he wanted her to believe. Inwardly, she knew, he was also fascinated by how quickly their child was growing up. "Nahh, if you say so."

With that, he tossed the grape into the air, caught it with his mouth and swallowed it down. "Kansuke!" She stared at him in disbelief before laughing out loud. "You just ate our child, you barbarian." He just snorted, though both she and Yui could see the amusement in his eye. "Don't be like that. It was just a grape."

They both knew it was more than that.

~**~

She sighed contentedly as she felt Kansuke's arm tighten around her middle, hugging her closer. "In need of a cuddle this morning?" All she got in response was a low, deep hum, which elicited a small smile and made her turn around. Kansuke had pulled her close to him, his eye still closed, and although he didn't show much movement of his own, she knew he was awake and following her every move in thought.

It was Sunday and they both had the day off, which normally meant they would go somewhere together as neither he nor she were really homebodies, however, it was raining outside and given their circumstances, he had decided to spend the morning in bed.

"Stop moving." His voice was even deeper and rougher than usual in the morning and she had to stifle a grin. "Don't tell me it bothers you when I do that?" With that, she turned again and felt his grip on her tighten, which made her grin for good.

Kansuke seemed to have given up, as he was now looking at her with a grim expression, but she could see the amused twinkle in his eyes. "Oh for fuck's sake, woman! You're driving me mad."

"Ah, ah, ah!" she scolded affectionately, tapping him mockingly on the tip of his nose before placing his hand on her stomach. "There are children here, no swearing." He grinned grimly and propped himself up on his elbows to look down at her. "That's a real shame. Then I guess I shouldn't do that either."

He leaned down and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "Or this." He kissed each of her cheeks and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Or this." Kansuke pressed his mouth against the corner of hers and she turned her head to catch his lips with hers, but he broke away again to grin mischievously at her.

"Ah, ah, ah, there are children here," he repeated her words, but they lost their impact when he leaned down and pressed several hot kisses along the crook of her neck and pulse, eliciting a gasp from her. "Kan-" was as far as she got as an incredible nausea suddenly rose up inside her and she had to press her hand to her mouth to stop herself from throwing up all over their bed.

Her husband seemed to realise that something was wrong because he let go of her neck and looked up and as soon as he saw her, concern came into his face. "Hey, what's wrong? You seem-" That was as far as he got as she hurriedly struggled free from the blanket and his embrace, overcome by another wave of nausea, and hurried out of bed and to the bathroom, where she frantically lifted the toilet lid and emptied the contents of her stomach into the bowl.

Tears came to her eyes and her throat ached from retching as she tried to keep her hair from falling into her face, when suddenly there were footsteps and the familiar thud of a crutch, and moments later Kansuke sat down on the edge of the bathtub with a groan and gently took her hair out of her hand to hold it back.

"Take it easy, love," he murmured surprisingly softly, rubbing her back encouragingly and supportively. "Let it out, let it out." She retched again and bent over the toilet bowl, tears of not only pain but shame coming to her eyes. "I'm sorry," she managed to say after a while of empty retching. "I actually thought I had it under control."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kansuke straighten up. "'Under control?' That implies it happened before." Ashamed, she looked to the side, but he didn't allow it and tapped her cheek. "Hey, look at me." Reluctantly, she complied with his request. "Has this ever happened before?"

She sniffled in an attempt to stop the tears. "Every morning, sometimes more often." Seeing the disbelief on his face, she glanced to the side. "You were asleep." There was silence for a while and she wiped her mouth with a towel, knowing she would have to rinse her mouth.

Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, she turned her head slightly, only to realise with horror that Kansuke had lowered himself to the ground. "Kansuke, your leg-" she protested, but was cut off sharply by him. "Forget about the fucking leg! Why didn't you tell me?" He looked exasperated, almost angry, and the crease between his eyebrows looked deeper than usual. "I-" she broke off, which seemed to frustrate him.

"Why did you think it would be a wise decision to keep it from your husband that you were unwell, huh?" "Because there's nothing you could do about it anyway," she hissed back, wiping the tears from her face. "It's normal when you're pregnant, which you'd know if you'd done the work to find out!"

Kansuke backed away a little and finally let go of her hair, but now she fired a volley at him. "You're hardly ever at home anyway, Kansuke! You're only at work and when you are at home, you're complaining about the whole world, eating or sleeping! So I thought you already have enough to worry about and I don't need to make it worse when you're finally home, you stubborn bastard!"

He stared at her and slowly the words that had come out of her began to sink in. She slapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh my... I'm sorry, Kansu, I'm so sorry. I don't know where...those words I...I didn't mean it, I-" "Oh yes you did.“

His voice was calm, which was even creepier under the circumstances, and she almost didn't dare look at him, but then she did. She was surprised. Instead of anger or indignation, she found only melancholy and sadness. "And you're right about that." She started to protest, even more surprised by his answer, but he raised his hand and she closed her mouth to let him finish.

"You're right. I haven't been very attentive lately. And definitely not at home much. And you're also right that even then I'm not very helpful." Gently, he took her hand and seemed to be waiting for her to pull away, but instead she squeezed it tightly, encouraging him to continue.

"It's... been busy at the office lately, but I don't have to tell you that, you've experienced it yourself. And yet you're right, it's no justification for neglecting you like this. Both of you," he added and swallowed, making his Adam's apple jump up and down. "I was a horrible husband and I would like to avoid being an even more horrible father-to-be. It will still be stressful for a few weeks, but I swear to you that I will always, you hear me, always have time for you." He grinned slightly. "I admit it might be harder during a manhunt, but I'd call back as soon as I could. It's always been that way, and I apologise if I ever made you feel like it wasn't."

He exhaled and smiled boyishly before seeing the tears in her eyes. "Oh, shit, I screwed up, didn't I? Which part was it? Oh fuck, I'm not good at this, you know that, I-" She interrupted him with a hug that would have cracked his ribs had he been more fragile. "All good," she murmured, "pregnancy hormones. Besides, you're getting sentimental, old man."

He laughed softly and put his arms around her as well. "I guess I'm forgiven?" She hummed softly. "Only if you give me something to rinse my mouth with and keep me company in a long, hot bath." "I think that can be arranged."

A while later, they were both lying in bed, wrapped in bathrobes and arm in arm, when Kansuke, who had his arms protectively around her middle, raised his voice. "Do you think I'll be a good father?" She turned her head in surprise, prompting him to continue as he drew invisible patterns on her shoulder with his hand.

"I'm not the happy-go-lucky type and have a tendency to be a bit gruff. A lot gruffer. And rude. And I'm bad at ... taking it easier, being gentler." He was silent for a moment. "What if I hurt our child? Whether physically or mentally. Whether intentional or not?" Now she turned round fully and placed her hand on his cheek

"You're going to be a great father, Kansuke. Yes, sometimes you're a little harsh, and yes, sometimes I'd love to shoot you to the moon. But you're a man with a big heart and I know you'll shower our little one with love, your way, and they'll know it because you're their father." She smiled slightly. "However, I have a hunch that you will be a little gentler with them after all. Like I said, you're getting soft in your old age." "Hey!"

~**~

He was exhausted. Behind him lay a twenty-four hour shift in which he had had to travel with Yui and Komei to the other end of Nagano to arrest a crazed man who had decided that it would be an excellent idea to pull out a pistol and shoot wildly around with it. Kansuke was pretty sure that if he hadn't knocked Komei to the ground and injured his own knee in the process, he would either be in hospital or no longer with them. In the end, they had caught the bastard and although he normally wrote the report himself, this time he had snarled and given the task to Komei and Yui. He had promised to make time for them and even though he could be a damn stubborn git sometimes, he honoured his word.

Kansuke opened the door and stepped inside, whereupon he slipped off his shoes in the corridor as elegantly and quickly as possible. He took off his crutch for a moment to free himself from his jacket before hobbling down the corridor when a delighted squeak caught his attention. He just managed to step into the living room when suddenly his wife came slithering out of the bedroom, a huge grin on her face, before she threw her arms around his neck and planted an energetic kiss on his lips. He swayed for a moment, surprised by the stormy greeting, but returned the kiss no less intensely and wrapped his arm, which was not leaning on his crutch, around her middle.

"What have I done to deserve this enthusiastic greeting?" he murmured against her lips and saw hers twist into a wide grin before she took a step back. "You tell me, Kansu?" He furrowed his brow. He didn't really feel like puzzling at the moment, he had enough of that at work, but his wife's good humour seemed to infect him, which was why he leaned against the back of the sofa in amusement. "Do I get a tip?" "It's me," she admitted and grinned even wider, causing Kansuke to quickly glide his gaze over her, but he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. She was wearing her usual clothes that she used to wear after work, had tied her hair back and turned sideways towards him.

She chuckled at the look on his face. "I admit, maybe it's a little harder to see with the baggy clothes. How about this?" She grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up so that it was just below her chest. Kansuke's eyebrows shot up, definitely not complaining about the sight she was giving him, and he was about to make a lewd comment when something caught his eye. He froze briefly before his gaze shot up to her in disbelief. "No!" She smiled broadly and nodded so hard that he feared she might strain something. "Yes."

He let out a laugh of disbelief, which was unusual for him, and stepped closer to her to place his hand on her abdomen, which now showed a small but noticeable swelling. "I'm finally showing," she exulted and fell around his neck again, which he now reciprocated much more enthusiastically than before. "And you look fantastic," he murmured into her ear and pressed a kiss to her temple, only to pull away and return his attention to her stomach. He would have loved to leave his hand there, which would have seemed strange before but now made sense to him, but she flinched and he only then realised that his hands were surprisingly cold. Unusual, as he was usually a walking radiator, but it was quite cold outside. "Sorry, I'm icy." He pulled his hand back, but she grabbed his wrist, forcing him to keep his hand in place. "It's all right," she returned, pressing her forehead against his. "I don't mind."

~**~

Her belly had swollen a lot over the last few weeks, so much so that she couldn't even hide it at work. A few people had asked her about it and, as agreed with Kansuke, she had answered honestly, but most of them held back and only watched her with curious glances from a distance. Considering the fact that her husband had been swarming around her even more since she had started to show, scaring away anyone who even dared to look at her strangely with a death stare of the extra class, this was to be expected.

But she didn't care, on the contrary. Lately, she had been feeling truly energised. Her morning sickness had completely disappeared and her back pain had also stopped tormenting her in the last few days, so she was finally able to get a decent night's sleep. She had the feeling that she was able to do everything, which in turn worried her husband.

"Please put it down," Kansuke pleaded, watching with rising panic as she bent to lift the moving box. Yui had found some cupboards and given them to them as their last one had broken, and although it wasn't very big, it was still quite heavy. "I can manage it. I'm a big girl," she joked, putting her hands on the handles as a test, causing a river of panicked sweat to run down the back of Kansuke's neck. If she had only been his subordinate, he would have snarled at her, maybe even grabbed her by the collar until she came to her senses, but it was her. His wife, mother of his child and a person he respected very much and didn't want to make her angry and sad, which was quite easy due to her hormones lately.

" You are. However, that doesn't mean you should carry this heavy box. I'd better do it." Amused, she turned to him, still leaning forward. "Oh, because you can do it so much better with your crutch?" Frustration rose in him and he would have loved to shout it out into a pillow, but she suddenly gasped and straightened up to put her hand on her stomach.

Instantly concern spread through him and he hobbled over to her to place his hand over hers on her stomach. "Are you all right? Have you hurt yourself? Is it the baby? Oh I knew we shouldn't have taken that fucking wardrobe, but Yui can be very persuasive when she-"

"It kicked me." He broke off as he saw a smile spread across her face, wonder and fascination in her eyes, and only then did the words sink in. "What?" Her smile widened and she squeezed his hand in hers. "It kicked me. Our child kicked. It was only very light, barely felt, but it was there." Tears shimmered in her eyes, but she laughed and Kansuke felt the irrepressible urge to laugh as well, but suppressed it for a smile. "You see, even they don't think you should transport that wardrobe in." She looked at him for a moment, laughed and kissed him.

"Well, if that's the case. Don't come crawling to me if you can't get the box in." With that she turned and walked over to her house and Kansuke found himself staring after her, however he thought he could. Their child had kicked. Whilst they knew she was pregnant, this was the first sign of life from her child and all of a sudden everything felt so much more real.

It had all started when her belly was getting bigger, but this... this was proof that the child not only existed, but that the child was doing well, more than well. It was alive, active and, according to the doctor's visits, seemed to be healthy all round.

He smiled and felt something stirring inside him, something soft and warm, and Kansuke thought back to the night she had reassured him that he didn't need to worry about being too hard on the child. And although her words had eased his worries then, he felt for the first time that they were really true. Maybe he really could become a good father.

Smiling, he turned round to the car and immediately the smile gave way to a scowl and he cursed quietly. She was right. How the hell was he supposed to get this bloody box into their living room with one hand? True, he could ask Yui or Komei for help, but Kansuke would rather die than give in so quickly. He put on a grim face.

He was Inspector Yamato Kansuke, damn it, he could handle a box.

[He couldn't. After half an hour, Komei drove up, called by Kansuke's wife, and carried the box into the house to the loud raging of Kansuke. There he enquired about the child while she thanked him, which put a damper on Kansuke's good mood, but he couldn't hold it against the man. However, he didn't let him know].

~**~

"I'm out of place here," Kansuke growled softly in her ear as she flipped through her magazine. She smiled slightly, reached for his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. "Don't worry, you're exactly where you should be, Kansu." "Tell that to them," he grumbled, nodding briefly to the women sitting opposite them, who were watching him suspiciously and secretly out of the corner of their eyes. At least they thought they were doing it secretly and unnoticed, because they flinched every time Kansuke turned his head so that his healthy eye looked over at them. "They're just not used to seeing a man in a gynaecologist's office, calm down." She glanced at him herself out of the corner of her eye. "You don't normally mind being stared at, do you?" „Still don't like it," he growled, which wasn't really an answer to her question, and leaned back grimly in his chair, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Smiling, she turned back to her magazine. She knew that Kansuke was uncomfortable with doctors, especially gynaecologists, but he had made it his mission not to miss any check-ups and had even taken time off work from time to time to accompany her. He was worried that he wouldn't be a good father, but she didn't have those worries herself.

She knew her husband and knew that he was up to the task. Yes, he would have his difficulties at first, but she had no doubt that he would succeed. All at once, the door opened and the doctor stepped out, making eye contact with her immediately afterwards. "Yamato-san? Please follow me.“

She stood up, put the magazine to one side and waited patiently for Kansuke to stand up and put his crutch in the right place before following the doctor into the room. She was already waiting for them with a smile and pointed to the chair while she put on her gloves. "You already know how it works. Please lie on it and clear your stomach." She complied with the doctor's request and lay down on the chair, pulling her top up so that her now clearly swollen stomach was exposed. As always, Kansuke refused to sit down, but stood next to her, ready to take her hand if she wished.

"Watch out, it's getting cold," the doctor explained, opening the gel bottle as usual and she herself grimaced slightly. The gel was really cold and felt a little uncomfortable on her skin. The doctor sat down in her chair after she had applied the gel thoroughly and wheeled over, holding the transducer in her hand. "Well, let's have a look then." The doctor carefully placed the transducer on her stomach and ran the device over her skin. Her gaze, as well as that of her husband, was fixed on the small screen on which they could recognise the outline of their child. When she had seen it for the first time, tears had welled up in her eyes and although he denied it, Kansuke's eye had also become a little moist.

For the next ten minutes, the doctor explained the individual steps she was taking and reassured both her and Kansuke that the child was perfectly healthy. In fact-

"I could tell you the sex of your child if you want me to." Her eyes widened and her head shot over to Kansuke, who also looked surprised. "That's already possible?" The doctor smiled gently at her. "You're already six months pregnant, so theoretically we could have determined the whole thing two or three weeks ago."

She could feel the excitement building inside her and didn't have to think long about what her answer would be. A glance at Kansuke told her that he wouldn't mind, so awestruck did he alternately look at the doctor and the screen. "Please." Smiling, the doctor let the transducer glide over her stomach before pointing to the screen.

"This is the head, this is the stomach and this is the legs." She pointed to the different areas on the screen in turn and both she and Kansuke greedily absorbed the information. "Since your child is lying on its back, we can see the whole thing better. Of course, it's not a hundred per cent guarantee, that's only possible at birth," the doctor added.

"But I'm pretty sure I can congratulate you on a very lively daughter.“

She heard Kansuke suck in a sharp intake of air and before she could control herself, tears came to her eyes. It could be the pregnancy hormones, though she didn't care as she turned to him and gripped his hand tightly. "A little girl. We're having a little daughter."

Her voice was no more than a whisper, but Kansuke nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Perhaps she was imagining it, but she thought - admittedly blurred by tears - she could see Kansuke wiping a tear or two from his eye. The doctor gave them a few moments to compose themselves and Kansuke murmured supportive and caring comments into her ear, so quietly that only she could hear, before clearing her throat, a sheepish smile on her face. "I could print out the picture for you? If you like?“

A week later, she was putting the dirty laundry in the washing machine, it was her turn, even though Kansuke protested when she realised that he had forgotten his wallet with his police ID in his jacket. Sighing, she pulled it out, silently cursing her forgetful husband, when all at once a piece of paper fell out of his badge. Puzzled, she picked it up and turned it over, only to grin broadly. It was the ultrasound image of her daughter, which Kansuke always carried with him, even at work. Let him tell her again that he wasn't getting sentimental.

~**~

She sat on the sofa with a concentrated expression and tried to regulate her breathing as Kansuke stepped through the door into the living room. "'Sorry I'm late, but the morons at work had to put a few more obstacles in my way." Kansuke stepped up to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaving the room to get rid of his bag and jacket. "Are you all right?"

This morning, for the first time in months, she had been terribly nauseous, which had become so bad that she hadn't been able to go to work. Not that it was particularly bad, after all she was only allowed to work for another month anyway before she went on maternity leave. "Everything hurts me," she groaned between clenched teeth, "because your daughter decided to kick me all day.“

Kansuke came back and settled down next to her with a slight groan and a cheeky grin on his face, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Oh, so now it's my daughter. Usually it's always your daughter." He wrested a tired smile from her. "You know how it goes, Kansu. When she does good, she's my daughter, when she messes up, she's yours."

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Tea?" She nodded and grimaced slightly, but just as he was about to sit up and push himself up, she gasped and hit his arm lightly. "Give me your hand, give me your hand!" Kansuke sighed slightly, but complied and gave her his hand, whereupon she pressed it against her stomach.

In the meantime, he was no longer particularly impressed. His wife had pressed his hand on her stomach dozens of times over the last few weeks in the hope that he would feel the kicks, but so far it hadn't been the case. "There!" she exclaimed, pressing his hand harder on her stomach. "Did you feel that?" Kansuke sighed again and shook his head. "Just face it, she's not kicking hard enough for me to-" He broke off as his wife groaned in pain and something suddenly pressed against his hand. He opened his eye and looked down at her stomach. "What-?" Something kicked his hand again, this time he could feel it clearly and she gasped in pain again, making him almost feel bad for wishing he could feel it again, just to be sure.

"She kicked," he whispered and now placed his other hand on her stomach, gently stroking her skin. "I felt her, she...she kicked right against my hand."

He looked up and caught her looking at him lovingly. "Just as strong and stubborn as her father." He was at a loss for words, so he did what he could think of: he put his hands to her cheeks and kissed her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he murmured softly and pressed his forehead against hers, his right hand moving back to her stomach. "I know it hurts you and is uncomfortable for you, but I'm so incredibly grateful for this." Gently, she ran her hands through his long hair. "Believe me, I'm more than happy to do this.“

The tea was forgotten and Kansuke spent the rest of the evening sitting on the sofa with her, placing his hands on her stomach when she told him to and with each kick that reached his hand, his heart warmed little by little and gratitude flooded through him that he had been given the honour of witnessing this and he vowed to himself to live up to it.

~**~

She watched sceptically as Kansuke tried to put the cupboard up. "Are you sure you don't want me to help you?" He just glared at her. "I've survived being buried under an avalanche for several days, I've been promoted to inspector and I've caught more thieves and murderers than you and I are old together. I'll probably be able to put this shitty cupboard together. It's all that's missing." Sighing and raising her hands in surrender, she averted her gaze and let it wander around the room instead, which instantly brought a smile to her lips.

The children's room looked fantastic. They had decided to keep the colour of the wall neutral, so she had painted it in beige and sandy tones, but it had turned out that Komei was surprisingly good at painting, so flowers in all colours of the rainbow now meandered across the walls, forming the most beautiful patterns. So while she and Komei had painted the walls, it had been Kansuke and Yui's job to assemble all the furniture a few days later. Although he had thought he could do it on his own, she had objected and threatened him that he would sleep on the couch if he didn't let himself be helped, so he had reluctantly asked Yui for help.

In the end, the whole thing looked really lovely. She had found some colourful polka-dot curtains, there were some cuddly toys on the changing table and just thinking about the little baby rompers made her grin. However, they had found another wardrobe yesterday and since Yui couldn't, Kansuke had decided to take the whole thing into his own hands instead of waiting another day. She had taken it with scepticism, because although her husband was skilful, he was not very patient, which was proven once again by the constant stream of curses flowing from the nursery. If she were superstitious, she would have started airing out the room, because she was pretty sure that Kansuke had conjured up more than just a demon with his cursing.

She was just about to put on some tea when a triumphant shout came from the nursery. Amused, she strolled over and leant against the doorframe to watch Kansuke step back from the wall to which he had previously nailed the cupboard that now hung above the rocking chair. Looking satisfied, he turned to her and raised his eyebrow mockingly.

"You see? Your husband can actually still do something." "Don't you think it's hanging askew?" Kansuke grumbled softly, hobbled towards her and put an arm around her middle. "Just be satisfied that we're done."

She couldn't disagree, but simply rested her head on his shoulder and put her hand on her stomach. "We're actually finished. The little one can come." Kansuke hummed softly. "Well, she'll have to wait a bit. But yes, she can come."

~**~

The midwife looked at her urgently. "You have to push, you're almost there, just a little more." With a frustrated and pain-filled groan, she threw her head back. Her whole body was trembling and she felt like her body was being torn in two as she tried not to lose her nerve. The only reason she hadn't collapsed yet was sitting next to her, holding her hand tightly and occasionally running his other hand through her sweaty hair to murmur words of encouragement. She really didn't know how the hell she would have got through the whole thing without Kansuke.

Her waters had broken when she had gone out to lunch alone with Yui. Normally, Kansuke no longer left her side for fear of missing the birth of his daughter. Today, however, he had been ordered from the top to go to a murder scene, which was why he had left Yui in charge.

She had just finished the phone call with Kansuke, in which he had explained that he was only twenty minutes away, when she had suddenly felt a liquid running down her leg. Immediately she had panicked and if it hadn't been for Yui, she didn't know if she would have made it to the hospital so quickly. Yui, however, had kept a cool head, taken her to the hospital and never left her side.

The first half hour had been the worst. Not because of the pain, but because Kansuke hadn't been there and she had been afraid he wouldn't be there in time. Yui had tried to calm her down and had just offered to call him when noises had sounded from outside and shortly afterwards Kansuke had come rushing through the door, followed by Komei, who had done his best to calm the doctors who were after Kansuke. Kansuke hadn't minded, he'd just barked at the people standing in his way before he was at her side and had taken Yui's place as hand-holder.

She had grabbed Komei and promised to wait in the corridor, where they were probably still waiting while she screamed her head off and cursed everything around her. Kansuke, however, was helpless and he hated this feeling, she knew that, and all he could do right now was stroke her forehead, whisper encouragement and shout at the doctors to see whether they could help her. By now she had been lying here for five hours and although she knew it was nothing compared to others, she couldn't take any more. She was physically and mentally exhausted and tears were streaming down her face. "I can't do this, Kansu." Her voice had become rough and hoarse from crying. "I can't do this, it hurts so much, it hurts so much..." Her voice was drowned in quiet sobs and all Kansuke could do was squeeze her hand tighter and kiss her on the mop of her head, his arm around her.

He had already given up the chair after an hour and sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. She had protested at first, but he was her steadying rock at the moment and she was incredibly grateful for that.

"I know it hurts, I know," he murmured, running his fingers through her hair again and again to reassure her. "And I'm sorry, so incredibly sorry, but you're doing brilliantly. It's going to be fine, you just have to push one or two more times and then it'll be over and you can hold our girl in your arms, yes? She'll be beautiful, just like her mother, and if it makes you happy, I'll personally ask Komei and Yui if they want to be godparents, because it was our idea. Not yours, ours. If need be, I'll make an ass of myself as long as you give it a few more pushes now, love. Please."

She sobbed, squeezed his hand tighter and buried her face in his shirt. He had already got rid of his tie and jacket. "I'm scared, Kansuke, so scared beyond belief." "I know. I know." She could hear her pain in his voice. "And I'm so incredibly sorry."

She squeezed his hand. "Don't let go of my hand, do you hear me? Don't you let go!" He squeezed back and kissed her on the top of her head. "Never." Another wave of pain rolled over her and she felt like a hot knife was being plunged into her body. For a moment, a split second, she was disorientated by the pain and didn't know what to do with herself. But then she felt a pressure on her hand and, as if from far away, a warm, deep voice whispered in her ear. "Push, love. You can do it. Just one more time and you'll have it."

She gathered all her strength one last time and pushed so hard that she thought she would break her pelvis. A scream escaped her, long and pain-filled, which echoed in the room as an even stronger pressure built up and she thought she was going to tear apart completely. But suddenly the pressure was gone and she let herself fall back, gasping and crying, but the scream continued, echoing, although it sounded higher, sharper. She felt Kansuke squeezing her and placing kisses on her head and she suddenly felt as if she had risen through the surface of the water and could hear everything, see everything and perceive everything.

The first thing she heard clearly was a loud scream that echoed through the room, followed by Kansuke's voice, which came through to her and grounded her like an anchor. "You've done it! She's here, you did it!"

A laugh escaped him and he pressed kisses all over her face, making her smile a tired and pained but sincere smile and she squeezed his hand that was in hers.

"Where is she?" she murmured softly and raised her head as panic slowly rose inside her, but the midwife was with her in an instant and smiled as she placed something warm and slightly damp on her chest. "Congratulations." She looked down at herself and the first thing she noticed was that the something was wrapped in a pink blanket. The second thing she realised was that the crying had stopped.

She carefully placed a hand on the blanket, whereupon the little thing underneath immediately began to move. One by one, a hand, an arm and then a head emerged from under the blanket and she couldn't help but burst into tears. Her little girl was perfect in every way, even if she could already tell that she took after Kansuke. She had his brown skin colour, his nose and the small dark brown, albeit damp, curls on her head closely resembled the waves on Kansuke's head. She smiled through the tears and looked up at Kansuke, who was staring mesmerised at the little bundle lying quietly on her chest, only making a few gasping noises from time to time.

"Look at her, Kansu. She's perfect." Kansuke didn't answer at first, but just stared down at his daughter in awe before he dared to run a finger carefully over her head. "She's so small," he whispered after a while. "And so fragile. How can she be so petite?"

She smiled too tiredly to laugh and stroked her cheek gently. "I don't know. I'm not worried, though. After all, she has you for a father." She stroked her cheek again. "Welcome to the world Yamato Yumiko.“

The next few hours passed in a confusion that she couldn't quite follow. After a few minutes, the midwife took Yumiko from her again to weigh and dress her, which she didn't like at first, as she had only just had her, but she had shown some understanding. She had also been washed and moved to a clean bed and given painkillers, which was why she was now lying in her bed, clean and in relatively little pain as long as she kept still, Yumiko in her arms and Kansuke next to her.

He couldn't take his eye off his daughter and when he held out his finger to her, which she immediately grabbed, she knew that Kansuke was blown away, staring at her as if she were the next wonder of the world. In her eyes, Yumiko was getting pretty close.

Yui and Komei had been there briefly and, as promised, Kansuke had asked them if they would agree to be the godparents. Yui had instantly burst into tears and even Komei had wiped his eyes suspiciously and looked very touched. Both had agreed, explaining that it was an honour, and had only glanced briefly at Yumiko before leaving. They had promised to drop by again soon, but they both had to work the next day and it was already late. Kansuke was of course off duty.

A yawn escaped her, which snapped Kansuke out of his trance. "You must be tired. Wait, I'll get a nurse, then she can put Yumiko to bed." She frowned and suddenly realised that he hadn't held her daughter yet. "That's not necessary, you could just do it." He froze before looking down at the baby. "I think I'd better call the nurse." "You're afraid of hurting her, aren't you?" He froze again, this time in his movement and she could see him swallow hard. Slowly, he turned back to her, avoiding her gaze.

"How could I not?" His gaze slid lovingly over Yumiko and stroked her head. "She's so small and petite and fragile and I... I'm big and harsh and crude. She looks like she's going to break in my arms." "She won't. Take her." She smiled gently and held out the child.

"You're her father, you have the right to hold her too." Kansuke hesitated and for a moment she feared he would refuse, however he sighed in compliance and angled his arm so that she could place Yumiko in it.

He didn't move except when she admonished him to support her head, looking more like he was holding a bomb than a child. She laughed lightly and leaned back in her pillow to savour the sight.

Yumiko was small anyway, but in Kansuke's arms she seemed a lot tinier and he didn't even need the other arm to hold her and although the view of the "scary" man with the cute baby was a strange display, it looked right in her opinion.

Kansuke seemed to realise after a few moments that Yumiko wasn't going to explode, so he slowly relaxed and his face lost the tension, which gave way to gentleness and an expression of pure love. "She's so small. And light," he repeated, this time not in fear but in admiration. He turned to his wife to say something else, but she was already fast asleep.

Kansuke smiled gently and pulled the blanket up a little higher. She had had an exhausting day and needed the rest. A small yawn was heard and as he looked down, he noticed Yumiko smacking her lips softly, blinking heavily. His heart warmed and carefully, as if she were made of glass, he stroked her cheek and slowly got up to take her to her bed.

It was tedious with the crutch, but he didn't really care and put it down to lay Yumiko gently in her bed. She made a face and he ran his fingertip over her nose to reassure her. "It's all right, princess. You just sleep. Papa will look after you and Mama, okay? I promise."

~**~

She smiled and couldn't help it when she saw him carefully place the Maxi Cosi on the floor to open the door, only to pick it up again and carry it inside attentively. She had offered to carry the luggage in, but Kansuke had forbidden her to do anything other than heal. Yumiko hadn't noticed any of the commotion. Apparently, she not only looked like her father, but had also inherited his deep sleep.

A sigh of relief escaped her as she slammed the door behind her and was about to bend down to get out of her shoes when Kansuke stepped in, knelt down and opened it for her. "Kansu," she scolded him affectionately. "That's not good for your leg." He just snorted and freed himself from his shoes before standing up with a groan.

"You've been through more painful things in the last few days, so I think I'll manage to help my wife out of her shoes." She shook her head with a smile and kissed him gently. "Thank you, Kansu." He snorted contentedly and then lifted the Maxi Cosi, in which her daughter slowly woke up and gave a little yawn, which was the sweetest thing there was for her right now.

"Good morning," she cooed softly and released Yumiko, who was getting a little squawky, from her seatbelt. "Did you sleep well?" She rubbed her nose against Yumiko's. "I'm sure you did, you snore as much and as deeply as your Papa."

Kansuke grumbled softly, but he didn't contradict her as he walked past her into the living room. She was too busy with her daughter and only realised that Kansuke was talking to someone when she stood next to him in the living room, where Yui and Komei were sitting on the sofa. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Hi?" She looked questioningly at Kansuke, who smiled and nodded over to the two of them. "I asked the two of them if they could help a little. Apparently they've taken things a bit further than I intended." She followed his gaze to the dining table, where steaming pots and plates already stood. Perhaps it was post-pregnancy hormones, but tears came to her eyes and if she hadn't been holding Yumiko in her arms, she would have hugged them both. But as it was, she had to make do with a heartfelt thank you.

Yui smiled and Komei just shook his head. "Gladly, but a thank you is unnecessary. You have given us the honour of being godparents. The least we can do is support you." This earned him a snort from Kansuke, but they all knew that he was just as grateful for the help. Yui nodded over to the table. "Shall we?“

Although they had intended to leave after cleaning up from the meal which the two insisted on, she convinced Yui and Komei to stay after all. Yui was easier to convince, but when she offered Komei to hold Yumiko, he too had been unable to refuse her invitation. Kansuke didn't seem very happy to give his daughter, whom he had taken in his arms during the meal, into other arms, but he couldn't deny that it looked cute. Yui was completely taken by Yumiko and tears welled up in her eyes. She was sure that if it hadn't been Komei's turn to hold her next, Yui wouldn't have let go of Yumiko.

Yumiko seemed to find Komei very interesting. While she had been quiet with Yui, she stared at Komei in fascination. He stared back at her with equal intrigue, which was why he realised too late that Yumiko was reaching for his beard, and anyone who had anything to do with babies knew that they had a strong grip.

So while she was desperately trying to stop her daughter from pulling out Komei's beard, Kansuke was almost dying of laughter on the sofa and the only reason he didn't take a picture was because he was shaking too much with laughter. He actually had tears in his eye from laughing and not even her scolding could ruin his mood.

Komei took the whole thing in stride, however, just smiling and assuring her that she didn't need to apologise. Yumiko was a child and not in a position to recognise what was right or wrong. The two of them stayed for a few more hours before saying their goodbyes and even at the door, Kansuke couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

"You're a horrible friend," she murmured as she lay in his arms in the evening. They had put the cot next to their bed to make sure all was well at the beginning. "And I'm not sorry. That was excellent." She could feel his grin, even though she was pressed against his chest. "Maybe you're right, maybe she does take after me." "Maybe? She's your absolute spitting image."

Kansuke stroked the hair from her neck to place a kiss there. "Maybe, but she clearly gets her beauty from her mother." "Suck-up.“

~**~

When she opened her eyes and it was still dark, she had to stifle a groan. They had come home with Yumiko a fortnight ago and although her daughter slept soundly, she never slept for long as she had unfortunately inherited her father's hunger as well. She glanced at the clock and realised with tired surprise that it was already four in the morning.

Yumiko didn't normally sleep this long. Sighing, she sat up to check on her when she realised two things. Kansuke was no longer in bed and Yumiko's sleeping place was empty, but their bedroom door was slightly open.

She got up and trudged down the corridor. Light filtered out of the nursery and curiously she poked her head in, only to see a heart-warming sight. Apparently Yumiko had woken up after all and she hadn't heard it, but Kansuke had, which was why he was now sitting in the rocking chair with Yumiko lying on his bare chest and the baby bottle on the table next to him. Both were fast asleep. She hurriedly pressed her hand over her mouth to suppress a delighted laugh and scurried into the living room, where she fetched her mobile phone to take a photo, which she promptly sent to Komei and Yui, knowing they would love as much as she did.

But just as she decided to wake Kansuke to make sure he didn't get a stiff neck or drop Yumiko, he started to stir and opened his eye with a yawn. His first glance was to Yumiko and when he saw that she was still sleeping quietly, he smiled and lifted his gaze, flinching when he saw her, which made her smile. Quietly, she crept towards him and let her hand wander down his neck, where she played with his hair. "I was hoping you wouldn't wake up," he murmured and, after shifting Yumiko onto one arm, reached for his crutch to stand up. "It's okay," she returned and kissed his cheek. "I had this gorgeous sight for that." She couldn't be sure in the dim light, but she thought his cheeks were darkening. "Doctor said skin-to-skin contact is important," he murmured, but she only laughed softly.

"You don't need to explain yourself, I meant it. It looked cute. It did." He growled something about her getting sentimental and limped to the door to put Yumiko down, though she couldn't help but smile even wider. Maybe she was getting sentimental, maybe he was too, who knew. What she did know was that they were a small family. They were far from perfect, but their little treasure not only brought out the best in her, but also the best in him. Maybe they weren't perfect and conforming to the norm, but they were perfect for them and that was all that mattered.

#yamato kansuke #yamato kansuke x reader #kansuke yamato #kansuke yamato x reader #detective conan #case closed #detective conan x reader #case closeed x reader #morofushi takaaki #detective conan komei #komei #takaaki morofushi #yui uehara #uehara yui #fluff

11 notes · View notes