Asa woke up to an empty bed.
She could faintly remember hearing crying, followed by a movement that probably indicated Denji leaving the bed ("it's cool, I'll go") before she drifted off again. She left her job a little before Ayame was born (there was no way a shitty drugstore was going to pay her maternity leave), but taking care of a newborn proved itself to be extremely time and energy consuming, specially if you're nineteen and have no idea of what you're doing and with your only help being an equally dumb twenty year old.
The bed was empty, and so was Ayame's crib. The clock read three something in the morning and she could see light coming from outside. The kitchen? Maybe Ayame was hungry?
She got up groggily, bare feet on the cold floor thanks to their shitty heater. Always feeling a little cold was bearable considering how cheap their little one bedroom one bath was, it was basically all they could afford but it worked out. The kitchen was empty, but on the other side of the counter, sitting at the sofa, was Denji. And Ayame.
They sat in silence, Ayame's eyes wide open as she stared up at her father who stared back at her. Not doing much besides looking at each other since the girl was far too young to be able to play or laugh;that was a funny thing about newborns, they're exactly like the babies in video games Asa heard of: they didn't do much besides sleep, eat, cry and, according to Denji, shit their pants ("you're so crass sometimes", "well, she did shit her pants"). So she just sat there, bundled up in Denji's arms and looking at him as if he were the center of her little world.
That was another thing about babies. Her and Denji were actually the center of Ayame's world.
Denji looked up at Asa, readjusting Ayame so he could lean back against the sofa more comfortably. "You should be in bed, you're goin' to be tired in the morning." He says but Asa is already making her way over to where the two of them sit. "She's not upset or anything. Just... awake."
"What are you doing out here?" Asa's voice comes out hoarse and low, like even her vocal chords were tired.
"We're..." Denji looked back at the bundle of blankets in his arms, "Hanging out."
Asa couldn't help but laugh. The implications of hanging out with a newborn were very funny to her somehow, because sitting and staring in silence was a thing she could see herself doing a lot, but not Denji. It was endearing, somehow.
"Ah, really? Too bad I interrupted." She replied.
"You can hang out with us if you want to." He offers, smiling tiredly at Asa. "You wouldn't want to miss out, would you?"
"Oh, never." Asa sits beside him, already reaching for Ayame. As she takes the baby, Denji stretches, probably tired from being in the same position for god knows how long. Ayame proceeds to stare at Asa instead.
And she's lost for a little bit. Because there, in the silence of the living room of their tiny apartment, holding that curious little creature with little hair and huge, dark eyes, she couldn't remember a time she felt more at peace.
Ayame yawns, wiggling uncomfortably until Asa repositions her in a way she likes before starting to drift off. Denji was lightly snoring already, sitting awkwardly. Asa gets up, rocking Ayame gently in her arms until she appears to be properly asleep again.
So she puts the little girl back in her crib before waking Denji up so he can go to bed again. She doesn't like cuddling, but she lets Denji hold her close in bed because the weight and pressure helps her fall asleep more easily (totally not because she indulges Denji). She lets him.
Asa doesn't dream, not anymore, but the blissful feeling of falling asleep with all the people she cares about safe and sound is a better reality than any dream her mind could conjure.
YOU ARE READING
she's my own little fairy (like the early morning mist)
Fanfiction"What are you doing out here?" Asa's voice comes out hoarse and low, like even her vocal chords were tired. "We're..." Denji looked back at the bundle of blankets in his arms, "Hanging out."
