[papamin Au 🐅] Fall Stroll 🍂

be my valentine?

fluff - parents au. ₊˚⊹ ᰔ preschool teacher! nanami, lots of cuteness from our sunshines◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜happy jaehyun day and happy valentine's ♡ !

little sunshines au

nanami's arts & crafts class quickly grew a buzz around the preschool once he broke the news to the children.

"we'll be making valentine's cards today."

their excited squeals and cheers immediately took over the classroom, his soft chuckle drowned by the kids' celebratory hollering.

"please pick the materials you need. we have colored paper, crayons, and stickers." he gestured to the basket full of supplies sitting on his desk. "if you need to use scissors, please ask for help."

first graders

"what's a valentine?"

the youngest zenin stood on her tiptoes as she tried to catch a look at nanami's desk, the bright pink colored paper drawing her in.

"a valentine is your... sweetheart." was the best explanation he could come up with (for a two-year-old, of course).

"sweet-hart?" she repeated, tilting her head slightly at the familiar word. she had heard it before, especially when her parents were in a good mood!

her little fingers wiggled in hopes of catching the end of the sheet of paper until nanami finally noticed and brought the basket down to her eye level.

"thank you!"

he began to hand out the material, the kids immediately claiming a spot on the floor and decorating their cards. everyone seemed too focused on their tasks, especially the youngest gojo son, as he furiously dragged the crayon back and forth against the piece of paper.

nanami decided to make small talk, not knowing the chaos it'd follow.

"who are you asking to be your valentine?"

"my mama." "mommy!"

"daddy!"

nanami watched the look of indignation in the youngest zenin's face as every kid mentioned their moms instead of dads, her little fingers gripping the crayon.

"why not daddy?" she frowned at the itadori twins since they sat directly in front of her.

the gojo kid stayed silent, clutching the card close to his chest as if protecting it while his eyes switched from the angry toddler to the twins.

"scary." mumbled the girl while her twin brother shrugged, not really having a reason.

second graders

yuuji had his hands full with several sheets of paper and crayons. "one for cho... one for mommy, one for daddy... one for babies–"

"that's a lot." the eldest gojo pointed out, looking at megumi, who immediately nodded his head, agreeing with him.

"that's alright." nanami quickly interrupted before things escalated, patting the gojo kid's back and guiding him back to his seat, and little yuuji frowning as he too walked away. "we can have more than one valentine."

"that's cheating." megumi's tone was nonchalant, but it was enough to ruffle yuuji's feathers.

"no, it's not."

"is."

"no!"

"is!"

yuuji spent the rest of the class hiccuping and wiping his red-rimmed eyes as he sat on nanami's lap, the exhausted teacher helping him with his multiple valentine's cards.

third graders

"she can't read yet, but I'll write a letter to my baby sister!" tsumiki stated proudly, picking a handful of pink stationary to make a card for her sister.

the geto twins instantly cooed at the thought.

"awhhh!" "we should do that for our baby brother!"

happy to encourage such gesture, the eldest zenin joined mimiko and nanako as they brainstormed ideas and shared their colors with her.

for once, nanami allowed himself to relax as the girls gushed about their younger siblings, glad that things finally went smoothly.

GOJO FAMILY

"no."

your sons stare at their dad with their blue eyes wide open. your two-year-old's eyes immediately fill with tears, and you smack your husband's arm, ignoring his childish whine.

"of course I'll be your valentine, baby!" you coo and lift the toddler in your arms, his limbs wrapping around you as he fights with all his might to hold back his sniffles. "i love you."

"love you too, mama."

"and you too!" you quickly add and side hug your eldest. "i love you both so, so much. papa was joking."

"it's just you and me, huh?" satoru pouts at the baby before munching on her soft cheek. however, your baby girl starts to fuss and makes grabby hands at you, fed up with her dad's attention. "not you too!"

ZENIN FAMILY

"daddy... for you."

you have never seen your little girl acting this shy, especially around toji. her hands offer the pink letter to her dad, his usual smug grin gone and replaced by a soft smile.

"c'mere, princess." he sits her on his legs as he opens the envelope, the bright pink paper decorated with colorful stickers. his chest feels tight once he's met with the cutest pink hearts and smiley faces doodled all over. "baby, you made this?"

"yeah."

he makes a mental note to order flower arrangements for his girls, but especially a pink bouquet for his little princess.

ITADORI FAMILY

your babies rush to you with their letters in their hands, clutched tightly in those tiny fingers and nanami right behind them.

sukuna catches sight of his daughter waving goodbye at her teacher, a pink envelope in his hand that looks identical to the one she's handing out to you.

he swears her little crush on the blond man is getting out of hand. so, naturally, he's about to walk up to nanami and have a word with him when his daughter's voice stops him.

"daddy?" her tone is soft, calling for his attention while her chubby little arm is stretched out, offering a heart-shaped lollipop at him.

"for me?" he can't hide his surprise, and when she nods, he lifts her up in his arms with a pleased grin. "thank you, my princess."

suddenly, all is well.

GETO FAMILY

"he can't even read."

"suguru."

"it's an adorable gesture!" he tries to defend himself, crossing his arms over his chest while shrugging, giving the fakest sorry look you've ever seen. "but I would've appreciated the gesture more than a baby who isn't even self-aware."

another sigh from you. the twins look slightly guilty, fearing that they've hurt their dad's feelings.

the sight makes you scowl at your husband who, once again, acts innocent.

"just saying!"

the world could use more fics like this😭😭💞💞

Miss-tery

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙

Nanami and Itadori get a bite to eat and meet someone Nanamis very close with

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙

Yuji groans as he stretches his sore muscles, that curse really made him work for that defeat. Thankfully he could do it all by himself and impress Nanami in the process. Speaking of which, where was he?

As if on cue Nanami came from behind a wall, putting his phone in his pocket as he walks over to the bright eyed student.

“Nanamin! Is Ijichi here yet?”

Yuji asks as walks over to Nanami, only for him to shake his head.

“Traffics terrible at this time, it’ll be a bit before he’s here.”

Nanami sighs before looking around then looking at Yuji.

“Are you hungry Itadori?”

“Always!”

Yuji beams as Nanami nods and starts walking into the town nearby.

Yuji followed happily, a smile coming on his face. He’d heard from Ino before how Nanami was a giant foodie and well aware of all the best food places no matter where in Japan they were.

He would drool as he heard his senior talk about the places he was taken, from the hole in the walls to the nicest restaurant. If Nanami took you there, you know it’s going to be great.

“Are you in the mood for anything?”

“Mmm maybe some chicken?”

The corners of Nanamis lips tugged up slightly before facing forward again.

“Well then, I know just the place.”

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ

The bell above the door jingled slightly as they entered the restaurant. It was a small building cozily tucked away from the cities loud noises.

The place was dimly lit with hanging lights scattered on the ceiling alongside fake pink flowers. The wall had a simple painting of the mountains with a long branch from a tree reaching over the emptiness that the mountain didn’t touch.

Nanami stepped to the hostess stand and waiting patiently, Yuji following quickly behind him.

“Are you sure it’s open?”

Yuji whispers, looking around at the very cute but very empty restaurant. Nanami nodded as he stared at his watch for a couple of seconds before the doors of the kitchen opened. Out came a pretty lady whose eyes went bright as they landed on and Nanami.

“Well hello stranger!”

You giggles as you walks over to the stand, picking up two menus. Nanami took off his glasses and stared at the you fondly before looking at Yuji.

“Itadori, meet the owner of this lovely restaurant.”

“Oh you’re Itadori! It’s a pleasure, I’ve heard so much about you!”

You give him a bright smile as you introduce yourself before sitting them down at a table. Scanning through the menu, you look at Nanami with a smirk.

“I already know what you want, unless you’re planning on finally changing it?”

Nanami let out a small laugh and shook his head as he handed the menu to her.

“Maybe one day.”

He smiles as you rolls your eyes playfully. Yuji eyes moved between you and Nanami as he tries to figure out what’s going on. He’d never seen Nanami smile and laugh this much in such a short amount of time.

He eyed Nanami suspiciously before looking down at the menu, everything sounded so good! How was he gonna pick?

“I suggest the Yakitori. It’s delicious.”

You suggested, as if you could read the young sorcerers mind. Glancing down at where it’s described the Yakitori. All things considered it sounded great.

“In my opinion everything she cooks is great.”

“Oh stop it you!”

Now Yuji was really confused. Nanami? Throwing around compliments? Making a smile and laugh?! Maybe on the way back Nanami was kidnapped and replaced by a curse cuz this was not the stone faced man he knew.

“You ready?”

You called out, pulling him out of his thoughts. Panicking slightly Yuji scanned through the menu.

“Huh-? Oh yeah! I’ll have the Yakitori and a soda please!”

“Good choices!”

You smile at him before turning over to Nanami.

“I’ll be back soon.”

You smiled before you were off again.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉ ・ʚ˚̣̣̣͙

You had come back with their dishes and served then, planning on going back to the host stand and waiting but Nanami sweet talked you into staying (a skill Yuji never knew he had). So here you were, talking and laughing at the table as him and Nanami ate their food.

“And this guy had the nerve to act like I didn’t seem him put his hair in! Like sir I was right there when you did it?!”

“The audacity of some people.”

Nanami shakes his head as you tell your story animatedly. Yuji watched you two very curiously as you talked. Usually Nanami wouldn’t have much to say when it came to storytelling, a hum here or a nod there, but with you? Yuji didn’t have a doubt in his mind Nanami was hanging onto every word you said.

“Oh but enough about me, how are you two? Enjoying the food?”

You ask, beaming at the two as they nodded. The second the heavenly smell of your food hit Yujis nose he was chowing down like there was no tomorrow.

“It’s delicious ma’am!”

“I’m so happy you think so! And how about you Mr Nanami? How’s the meal you always get?”

You ask with a knowing smirk. Nanami lets out a small huff as he brings his final spoonful of Unagi to his mouth.

“I’m a man of routine.”

“Oh do I know that.”

You giggle, rolling your eyes. A buzz comes from Nanamis phone that pulls him away from the conversation for a moment. Curious, you and Yuji try to look at the message to no avail. Nanami frowns as he looks at the text, standing up as he fixes his tie.

“Itadori, we have to go. Ijichis out waiting for us.”

You and Yuji frown as he leaves the seats, Yuji wished he could stay longer but sighs as he gets up.

“Bye Ma’am! Thanks for the food!”

Yuji waves as him and Nanami leave. Nanami opens the door, staring back at you as Yuji walks off content. You look back at Nanami with a soft smile as you pick up their dishes.

“Don’t be home too late, ok Kento?”

“I won’t, see you soon dear.”

Shutting the door Nanami catches up with Yuji and they walk in comfortable silence for a moment, at least comfortable for Nanami. Yuji would stare at him periodically, lips pressed tightly together as he contemplated on asking Nanami about the woman before forgetting about it.

After the fifth time Nanami was starting to get annoyed. Looking at Yuji through his glasses, he speaks coolly.

“Itadori, if there’s something on your mind you can tell me.”

Yuji stops in his tracks as he’s called out, face going pale and eyes going wide. Yuji sighs before taking a deep breath. Well here goes nothing.

“It’s really nothing I was just…curious.”

“About?”

“Well it’s just you and that restaurant owner seem really close and I was just a little curious about it?”

Yuji asks nervously as he looked at the older man only to see him with an easy smirk as they walked.

“Is that all? Well if you’re really curious she’s my wife.”

“Oooh! That makes sense!”

Yuji exclaims before happily walking. So he wasn’t imagining things! It makes total sense Nanami would treat his wife so-

Wait,

“Nanami you have a wife?!”

The masculine connotation of a bow tie and the feminine connotation of a bow on the top of the head implies a nonbinary bow style placed directly over the nose

Pairing: Toji Fushiguro x f!Reader

Summary: Megumi receives a lot of gifts from Santa.

Warnings: Fluff

*Merry Christmas my loves, and happy holidays🫶 got a new game so don't expect a lot from me. also don't read too much into this, just enjoy the drabble!

Discord +18 - Twitter - Ko-Fi - Bluesky

Christmas morning, the most exciting morning of the year. Little Megumi is too excited to see what Santa has left for him under the Christmas tree. His birthday just passed, but that day isn’t as exciting as Christmas morning. One present is nothing compared to a mountain of gifts.

“Santa came!” Megumi barges into your bedroom, waking you and Toji first thing in the morning. Toji complains, mad that his slumber is interrupted for nothing. You, on the other hand, are as excited as Megumi. You can’t wait to see his reaction to the gifts that Santa brought for him. 

You drag Toji out in your matching pajamas, while the man complains about being exhausted. He had to keep an eye on Megumi last night, he wanted to make sure that the child wasn’t trying to catch Santa Claus at the wrong moment. 

“Can’t he wait a minute?” Toji complains, but neither of you listen to the old man. The exhaustion quickly goes away when he sees all the gifts under the tree– That’s all his money. But he won’t jump to conclusions yet… Maybe it’s just some cheap gifts, nothing to worry about.

You two take a seat on the couch as Megumi runs to get his gifts.

“What does that read, Megumi?” You ask him before Megumi tears the wrapping paper to shreds. 

“To Megumi, from mom and dad.” Megumi reads, and Toji’s eyebrows perk up. Megumi opens the gift to find a jacket, nothing too fun for the little guy who tosses it to the side.

“Hey! Let me see that!” Toji yells, and Megumi pouts as he grabs the jacket and hands it back to his father. Toji snatches it out of the child’s hands, telling him, “You could be a little more grateful.”

“Thank you.” Megumi dryly responds, as Toji reads the brand of the jacket. Like hell the gift was from the two of you, Toji is just seeing this exists.

“Expensive brand.” Toji’s eyes narrow before looking at you. You kiss his cheek before resting your head on his shoulder, a trick that always works to help him calm down.

“He’ll wear it a lot.” You respond, and Toji sighs. He guesses you’re right. Toji just hopes that not everything under that tree is as expensive.

“Santa got me a Nintendo Switch!” Megumi exclaims not even a minute later, and Toji’s hand goes over his heart. Oh, this is it. This is what’ll kill him.

“Santa?” Toji responds, slowly turning his head to look at you. You’re smirking, guilty as charged. To add more salt to the wound, Megumi yells,

“And some games!”

Toji had nearly forgotten that he hated this holiday– By the time he’ll financially recover, Christmas will roll around again.

"i told you not to lie down on the floor with them." you watched as your husband struggled to get little tsumiki to let go of his hair, while megumi decides on climbing his father's back.

"don't ya scold me, woman. i didn't ask for this."

"you definitely were when you decided to get me pregnant."

he doesn't reply, only glaring at you while still trying to get tsumiki to let go.

"pa... pa-paaa..." his little girl babbles, letting go of his hair only to grasp his shirt, putting it in her mouth and starting to chew on it.

he smiles in adoration, rubbing tsumiki's back with his large hand and reaching behind to prevent megumi from falling. he looks up at you, admiring you while you rub your swollen belly.

"y'so pretty, mama." he spoke, and the baby in his arms latches away from his shirt, looking up at her father and at you with her big round eyes.

toji looks down at his baby girl with a small smile, "mama's pretty, ain't she, baby? hm?"

"ma-ma..." tsumiki coos, flashing you a gummy smile.

"aww, my baby!" you sniffled, trying to get up to hug your baby and stop your tears.

"ah, ah. no. don't even." toji stops you, sighing in relief when megumi finally decides to get off his back, only to run towards you.

"mama!" megumi exclaims, resting his head on your belly. you smiled, ruffling his hair.

oh, how you cherished moments like these with your little family.

dogs out. zenin toji

fluff ‐ parents au. ₊˚⊹ ᰔ slice of life, mom!reader, unnamed 2yo daughter, megumi is four, and tsumiki is six. preschool teacher!nanami cameo ♡

little sunshines au

"moooooom! the baby took her shoes off again!"

tsumiki's voice has you peeking your head from the kitchen, trying to catch sight of your little girl. you're about to call your husband's name when he walks into the living room and picks your daughter up from the floor.

"dont like 'em?" he smirks, holding her tiny foot up and inspecting it.

she grins cheekily at her dad, proudly wiggling her little toes and showing off the sparkly nail polish on them.

"spaw-cle!"

finally done with the dishes, you join them and see her crocs discarded by the couch.

"again?"

"let her be, ma." toji has her foot against her cheek, both of them giggling at the silliness of it.

"she has to get used to them, toji."

he finally meets your eyes and sees the stern look in them. slowly, he puts your daughter down while she looks at him in confusion. toji doesn't have the heart to force his youngest to do stuff she doesn't like. but after three kids and years of marriage with you, he knows this is a battle he won't win.

"sorry, kiddo."

—

two days later, he's standing by the gates of the kids' school, waiting for them, when he notices something odd.

his face quickly switches from boredom to concern once he spots nanami holding his baby girl in his arms, her face visibly blotched from crying.

"she wouldn't stop taking her shoes off during class. I'm afraid we had to take... drastic measures." the blond man hands her over, visibly tense at toji's reaction. tsumiki and megumi stand next to him with matching frowns, having seen (and heard) their baby sister's cries. "school's policy."

"daddy!" she's bursting into tears as soon as she's in his arms, her watery eyes set on his concerned ones. "want 'em off!"

toji looks down at her feet and sees the brown tape around her pink sneakers, clashing horribly against it and causing him to sigh in defeat.

"baby, you can't keep taking your shoes off." he's patting her back in comfort, letting her sob against his shoulder while he turns to nanami again. "any advice? my wife and I have been struggling for weeks."

having seen this before, nanami recalls a piece of advice given from a couple who struggled with this, too. "try to find a pair that she likes. they don't have to be sneakers—the school isn't strict with that."

and suddenly, toji has a brilliant idea.

—

"princess, c'mere."

both you and your husband enter your daughter's room, sitting on the floor, and she comes closer with her plushie hanging from her hand.

toji places a box in front of her, your demeanor slightly anxious as you wait for her reaction. for a two-year-old, you're aware that she can be the toughest crowd sometimes.

her eyes are fixed in front of her, watching her dad opening the boring, brown box until pink and glitter are all her brain can process.

"woah..." she's clearly in awe, her little hands quickly grabbing the tiny pink heels and slipping them on her feet. "mommy shoes!"

the heels clack loudly against the floor, her steps uncoordinated and clumsy, but she can't stop giggling happily, walking back and forth.

"what did i tell you, ma?" toji's grin is smug, his arms wrapping around you while you play it off with a roll of your eyes. the sigh of relief is obvious from you two. "problem fixed."

he hasn't even finished gloating when you spot megumi standing by the door with his hands covering his ears, glaring ominously at toji.

"don't be so sure, honey."

When he knew there was nothing better in this world than being a parent  — Jujutsu Kaisean

( cw ) f!reader, fluff, domestic , mentions of surgery, Toji gets bullied 😢

featuring. Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, Toji Fushiguro, Nanami Kento 

authors note. I found this draft and was like ??? when did I write 💀 but anyways I like 2/4 of it so 💁‍♀️ I could name a million things better than being a parent but shhh 🤫

GOJO SATORU

Gojo had just put her down, and she was already screeching again. He was starting to get annoyed; he had work to get to, and she just wouldn’t settle down. Sighing, he stood back up and made his way to her, peeking over the top of her crib. Almost instantly, she stopped, and a big toothless smile spread across her face. She let out a happy little sound. He leaned over, picked her up, and she snuggled into his chest, smiling and cooing. Satoru melted in a way he didn’t know he could. His baby just missed him and in that moment he knew he'd do anything to keep that smile on her face.

TOJI FUSHIGURO   

Toji never cared about what the general public thought of him. He was who he was, and nobody's opinion was going to change that. However, when a group of teenagers at the restaurant started to loudly talk and point at the scar decorating the side of his face while he was with his son, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. When his son glanced up and made a face, a tendril of insecurity took root in Toji's mind. Maybe the scar was a bit ugly—perhaps his son had always hated it but never said anything. Toji turned his attention back to his plate and started to play with his food; he wasn't that hungry anymore. In his peripheral vision, he saw his son stand up and gently touch the scar with his small hand. "I think you look cool, Daddy, like a superhero." his son said before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and returning to his meal.

GETO SUGURU  

Geto was lost in his thoughts when he felt a hand gently caress his stomach. "Daddy? Are you okay?" his daughters asked from the side of the bed. He hadn’t heard them come in. He had just had his appendix removed, and it hurt—a lot. "Yeah," he lied, offering them a small smile. They took this as a sign to crawl up onto the bed. One of them settled next to the bandage on his side, while the other came up to pet his hair and face. "You’re going to get better soon, Daddy. We’ll take care of you," the eldest whispered before placing a gentle kiss on his forehead, just like he did every time they were sick.

NANAMI KENTO  

Nanami knows he has the best daughter in the world when she rushes up to him in a panic just before he’s about to leave for work. He looks down at her with a questioning expression. “I just want to tell you to have a good day at work today because I know you came home sad yesterday.” She smiles shyly up at her father before wrapping her small arms around his legs. He quickly kneels down to give her a proper hug. “I love you, Daddy. I wished for you to never have a bad day again before I went to sleep.”

Nicole Piastri strikes again

*with a dark and evil aura surrounding me* I'm shy

Picturing the JJK men as dads on the beach!

Featuring: Gojo, Geto, Nanami

TW: Fluff, Established Relationships, It's silly if you think of Geto as a cult leader and you really don't know what he does for a living.

Gojo Satoru is definitely the playful type. Gently holds your toddler’s tiny little hand as they take their very first steps onto the beach. You, of course, are a few steps behind, recording the whole thing, his white hair blowing in the breeze, those bright blue eyes flickering back to you with the happiest smile you’ve ever seen.

When your little boy finally reach the wet sand, the first chill of seawater brushes over his little toes as he squeals, cautious of the water. Satoru crouches slightly beside them, steady and so full of joy. You can hear his soft giggles and gentle reassurances, “I got you,” and “Don’t worry, daddy won’t let anything happen”, as he coaxes him forward, step by tiny step.

Each time the waves grow taller, he lets out a playful, “Wooo!” before shielding your little one with his long frame, bursting into laughter that makes your chest ache with love. “That was a big one, huh?” he grins, scooping the toddler closer. Checking them over as they spit out salt water. Helping him rub his little blue eyes that resemble his fathers. “My brave little man”

Eventually, you make your way over, camera tucked away, the salty breeze tangling in your hair. Satoru looks up the second he senses you near, and his grin only widens.

“There’s mama,” he coos, squeezing your toddler's small hand, pulling them close, before reaching for your hand, lacing your fingers with his. “C’mon, join us. The water’s not so scary.”

And just like that, the three of you stand at the edge of the sea, the water coming in cold burts, shells dazzling in the sand. When the next one crashes in, he pulls you both close, laughing loud and bright as cold water splashes up your legs.

“See?” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to your cheek as your little one squeals with joy. Small little kicks in the water. “Told you I’ve got you.”

------------

Now Geto Suguru, absolutely has a schedule in mind. A bit of time at the beach, a long scenic car ride timed perfectly for the twins to nap, then dinner at a place he made reservations for weeks in advance, with a menu that includes safe foods for the kids and views that he knows you will love.

You, of course, have no clue what the schedule is. You’re just following his lead, letting him steer the day. If he’s being a little overprotective? Well, he means well.

He kneels down to carefully lather sunscreen onto the twins' cheeks, smoothing it into their soft skin with those big gentle hands. Then he sprays down their arms and legs until their glistening (hey do you want two little ones complaining about sunburns? No? Thought so), before adjusting their sun hats and leading them down the sand toward the tide pools.

“The tide’s too rough for little girls,” he murmurs, glancing back at you with playful violet eyes as if daring you to challenge him. He’d said the same thing when school season came up, murmuring something about “not just yet” and “there’s still time.” You’re starting to realize he just doesn’t want them to grow up too fast.

Once you reach the tide pools, it’s like watching a nature documentary, narrated carefully with a smooth, honeyed voice. Suguru who crouches low, sleeves rolled up, pointing to colorful sea anemones and starfish nestled in rock crevices. The occasional hermit crabs scrambling about. He gently holds the girls back with one arm as he explains how we have to be careful, how these creatures are delicate, how we should never touch unless we’re invited. He asks them questions, listens closely to their little answers, and hums in thoughtful praise when they’re right.

You take pictures from behind for his little scrapbook - your husband hunched beside his daughters, the wind tousling his dark hair, a small smile on his face as they eagerly chatter about “funny sea goos” and “squishy blobs.”

Even when the four of you walk along the shore, he’s still tuned in. He picks up every seashell they hand him and slips them into his pockets, keeping each one safe. Talking to you that he will have them do a little craft, maybe decorate a frame for your next family photo. His other hand stays laced in yours, thumb brushing your knuckle like a quiet thank-you for being here, for trusting his rhythm.

And when the twins break into a run, he calls after them, not angry, just firm. Protective.

“Hey, stay where I can see you. Don’t go too far, yeah?”

You can't blame the man for being a little overprotective. He's just trying to protect the only family he has left in the world.

------

Nanami finally got his beach house.

It wasn’t something he ever really thought he’d have, not in the way people dream of it. Certainly not with a wife he adores more than life, and definitely not with a little girl who just turned one. Both surprises. Both blessings he never knew how much he needed until they arrived, warm, loud, full of life and love.

He lounges beneath a large umbrella, reclined in a low chair on the sand with your daughter curled up sound asleep on his chest. A small paperback rests in his hand, the other gently cradling her back as he reads aloud in a quiet, steady voice. Loud enough only for himself to hear. Enough for her to feel the rumble of his chest when he speaks. The soft rise and fall of her breathing tickles his cheek where her chubby face presses into him, her tiny hand curled in the fabric of his white linen shirt.

Every so often, he glances up from the page, eyes following you as you wander the shore barefoot, collecting small shells and smooth stones. Things for her little fingers to hold, to marvel at.

Sometimes, you join him again. Both of you kneeling in the sand with your babbling baby girl perched in your lap. You and Nanami take your time building crooked little castles, digging moats and shaping towers, only to watch her gleefully slam her tiny fists into them, squealing as the grains collapse under her touch. He chuckles each time, murmuring that it’s good for her sensory development, brushing sand from her face and little hairs before beginning again.

Every now and then, Nanami looks at you.

Just looks. Like the tide has swept something open in his chest and left it raw in the most beautiful way. Sometimes he’s still trying to understand how he got here, how he gets to have this. How he deserves to have this.

There’s a softness in his gaze that lingers longer than the shell rustling in the waves. A quiet, awestruck kind of love that doesn’t need to be spoken aloud, because it’s seen in every glance, every kiss to your lips, every shell gently placed in your daughter’s hand.

He never expected this life. But god, he wouldn’t trade it for anything.