angevon

Author's notes: See this page for rating information and the chapter index.

Kichirou waited in the hallway, hoping what they'd done to Mom and Dad's room was okay. He couldn't hear exactly what the two adults were saying because the words were muffled, but Dad didn't sound upset.

A few minutes later, Uncle Narukami came out of the room and closed the door quietly behind him. "Your dad fell asleep. I think he's been overdoing it lately. But that means the night is ours alone! What do you want for dinner, hmm?" He wiggled his forefinger in warning. "If you say yakisoba I'm going to make fried rice instead. We have some leftover rice to use up!"

Kichirou pouted and told him 'yakisoba' anyway.

Uncle Narukami smiled and patted his head.

After their fried rice dinner, Uncle Narukami yawned and told him it might be an early-to-bed night. Kichirou was tired, too. He'd helped out in moving the furniture today as much as he could. He'd never realized before how heavy his toy boxes were.

"But your dad said I should give you a bath, so..."

Kichirou looked up at his uncle. "Oh! You're going to take a bath with me?"

"Yep!"

Kichirou was surprised. He usually always bathed with his dad, and on some occasions in the past, his mom. This would be different. It could be fun!

"You know, I haven't had a bath with anyone else in a long time," Uncle Narukami said while they were at the wash basin. The adult began to wash behind Kichirou's ears with soapy fingers.

"Was the last person Nanako-chan?" Kichirou asked curiously.

"Ah, no," he admitted, "but it should have been! That reminds me that I haven't seen her in a while."

"I bet she misses you," the boy murmured.

"We should visit her together!" Uncle Narukami said with sudden excitement. "It's still summer, so we could! That would be fun, huh? I think you haven't been to Inaba in a while."

"J-just to visit Grandma and Grandpa Hanamura, yeah..." His uncle began to lather his hair with shampoo. "Why's your hair gray?" Kichirou asked. It was the weirdest thing about the man, really.

"I'm secretly a very old man, Kicchan!" His uncle laughed good-naturedly. "It's always been that way, if you can believe it. They say stress can make it go gray." He paused, putting a shampoo-covered finger to his chin. "Do you think I'm stressed out?"

"S-sometimes," Kichirou admitted. "When you fight with the vacuum!"

They both laughed. Vacuuming was his uncle's least favorite chore. Kichirou had only seen him do it twice in the entire time he'd been here.

Uncle Narukami helped him into the bath and then followed him in. The water wasn't quite as hot as it normally was when Kichirou bathed with his dad. Probably his uncle had set it to be cooler.

The gray-haired adult reclined his head against the wall of the tub and sighed. "I'm so glad your dad wasn't upset about his room. I was so worried."

"I don't think he can get mad at you, Uncle Narukami," Kichirou replied. "You're his partner!"

"Yeah? He's changed a lot, even in the short time I've been here. I wonder if... No, I know you both are going to pull through this. You're both very strong."

Kichirou moved his hands through the water, making a small wave. "I, I miss Mom, but... She calls me sometimes, so I think... it's okay... if she doesn't live here."

Uncle Narukami nodded again. "She loves you, and she's still your mom, even if you're apart. I'm very glad that you recognize this. You're very mature for your age, Kicchan. Sometimes that's good and sometimes that's bad."

"Wh-why's it bad?" Kichirou inquired, looking up at him.

"Because if you're too mature, you don't know how to have fun!"

"I know how to have fun!" he protested.

"Do youuuuu?" Uncle Narukami purred. He shifted his body in the bath, sitting up straighter.

"I do, I do!" Kichirou frowned. What was he getting at?

Uncle Narukami splashed him.

"Hey!" he protested, guarding his face, but his uncle splashed him again and again until he started splashing back. Then Uncle Narukami was laughing and he was laughing, too, and by the time their little splash war was over, there was a lot less water in the tub.

They took some time to catch their breaths, and then they played with one of Kichirou's toys. It was a small sailboat. Kichirou tried to make it sink by pouring water over it, but it was designed to stay afloat. Then Uncle Narukami sneaked his hand under the water and pulled the boat down into its depths from below.

When he let go, it popped back up to the surface. "You always gotta bounce back," Uncle Narukami murmured. "Whenever you get down."

Kichirou dried the toy, preparing to put it away. The water was starting to cool, so he knew bath time was nearing its end. Uncle Narukami agreed—he pulled the plug and drained all the water, and then helped him out of the tub.

"Uncle Narukami?" Kichirou asked hesitantly while the man was drying him off with a towel.

"Hmm?"

"Wh-when are you going to... l-leave us?" Summer vacation was almost over, after all...

Uncle Narukami paused in drying him. When he dared to look up, the man was blinking at him. "Leave you? Kicchan! I'm not going anywhere. Are you worried about that? Don't worry!"

"S-sorry," Kichirou muttered. "I-I just... d-don't want you to go..."

"Don't be sorry!" his uncle said, smiling at him. "I'm glad that you care that much about me. Kicchan, you know..." He paused.

"U-Uncle Narukami...?"

"I don't have any kids of my own. S-so... I'm very happy to be a part of your life." Uncle Narukami was beaming at him like a ray of sunshine, his face a bit red.

"Uncle..." Kichirou said, overwhelmed by the emotion outpouring from the man. He turned around on the stool and gave him a hug.

Uncle Narukami laughed in surprise. "Kicchan! Now you're all wet again!"

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