Family

Fear

"Alright, let's get you tucked in and ready for your bedtime story," Mayuzumi said as he pulled the blanket up to Tetsuya's chest.

They had just come back from the airport and Tetsuya convinced him to sleep with him tonight after Akashi had him occupy the guest room at the mansion.

"What story would you like me to read, Tetsuya?" Mayuzumi asked, combing the silky blue strands of Tetsuya's hair.

"This one!" Tetsuya said, showing him a hardbound marroon book that looked like it belonged to Midorima.

"Where did you get that?" Mayuzumi asked with a smile and skimmed the contents of the book to see a compilation of poems.

"I borrowed it from Shintaro-nii," Tetsuya answered with a smile.

"But these aren't stories, Tetsuya, they're poems,"

"I know," Tetsuya answered. "We learned about them in school. They have rhymes in the end. But... they tell stories too, right, Chihiro-nii?"

Mayuzumi was actually astonished to hear Tetsuya speak when just a few years ago the only words Tetsuya could say was 'nii-chan' that was always addressed to Akashi. But now, after just three short years, words spill out of his mouth in truth and in curiosity and Mayuzumi was impressed at how Tetsuya was as smart as Akashi had described him.

"Yes, they do," he answered with a smile but positioned himself to sit next to Tetsuya and opened the book.

He turned the pages and tried to find any entry on the compilation that would interest Tetsuya. He was halfway through the book when the child pointed at a certain page and said, "That one,"

The word Voyage was in bold-italic that indicated the title of the five-stanza poem. Mayuzumi scanned through the lines about the author being on a voyage that would take him far from his beloved but promised his return one day.

Mayuzumi took a deep breath before he started to read the poem.

"I take a step forward and felt my heart shatter
Like how glass does in a noisy clatter
Something heavy weighted me down
And I felt like crying with a frown.

I took another step and I heard her cry
My heart shattering once more, I might die
I couldn't look back, paralyzed on my feet
As she called out and continued to weep.

She asked me to come back to her
Back in her arms and stay there forever
But I had to take a step away
My eyes on the horizon as I stood from the bay.

I had to move forward and leave her behind
Even though leaving would have me lose my mind
I loved her very much but I had to go
And I watched as, in her eyes, faded hope.

'Goodbye, my love' I whisper to the winds
Hope that it would carry to her and forgive my sin
But I will return in her arms once more
Hoping she'll still be there to open the door."

Tetsuya smiled sleepily at the book as he rested his head on Mayuzumi's chest. "Do you want me to continue reading to the next poems?" Mayuzumi asked.

Tetsuya shook his head and Mayuzumi smiled as he put the book away and kept Tetsuya close to him as he hummed a lullaby to help him sleep.

"That man was sad for leaving his love behind, wasn't he, Chihiro-nii?" Tetsuya asked.

"Yes," Mayuzumi answered. "But he will return. He said so in the end, so it's not a sad ending,"

"Do you think Papa will do the same?" Tetsuya asked and Mayuzumi froze.

"Do you think Papa will come back?" Tetsuya asked and looked at Mayuzumi who was caught off guard by his question, "Do you think he'll come back with Mama too?"