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turning-the-kaleidoscope · 5 years

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“Thaw” (Chapter 3/3)

It was supposed to be a fun afternoon.

Neither of them could’ve expected it to end up like this.

Written for @mookybear12404‘s MP100 Sims!AU, which is wholesome in all kinds of ways but almost turned into a complete disaster with the latest installment. Stay away from precarious railings near the ocean, kids!

[Part 1] [Part 2]

He’s warm.

Shigeo cracks open his eyes slowly, and the room comes into view. Everything’s fuzzy, and his head feels like someone’d driven a nail into it with a hammer and left it there, but he’s awake, lying back on a couch, bundled in at least five blankets, with the warm crackle of a fireplace by his head behind him.

It doesn’t sink in at first. He doesn’t remember where he is or what led to him being here, but the splitting headache, coupled with the gentle crackle of the fire and the blankets wrapped around him, almost sends him right back into sleep.

Only, that’s precisely when everything sinks in.

He shoots upright, heart in his throat, trying to detangle himself from the blankets. Reigen, Reigen’s in here somewhere, he has to find him—

“Hey, hey! Hold it, son, hold it—”

Hands land on his shoulders and try shoving him back, but he fights against it, too scared to go unanswered.

“R—M-My dad, where…”

“Your dad’s fine, I promise,” the woman answers, eyes carrying a mixture of concern and annoyance. She runs a hand over her face and pinches the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. “Jeez, he did the same damn thing a second ago—nearly split his head open on the dresser, I swear—”

“W-Wait, h—” Shigeo feels lightheaded again, but for a different reason. “You mean he’s—he’s really okay? He’s okay?”

She smiles this time, releasing his shoulders and sitting by him on the couch. “Of course he is. He came to real quick once I dumped him in the bathwater. You’re lucky you found us when you did—”

“C-Can I see him?” he blurts, without thinking, and realizes a second later just how sharp his tone had been. “I—I’m sorry, I-I didn’t—”

“It’s alright, don’t worry, I ain’t mad,” she assures him with a soft smile. “Can’t imagine how scared you were. You’re a pretty tough kid, y’know It was really brave of you to stick it out like that. Wellp. Anyways.”

She pats him on the shoulder, then hops to her feet and waves a hand at him.

“C’mon, if you think you’re alright to walk, I can take you to him.” At this, she chuckles and shakes her head. “Or else he’ll probably tear apart the place looking for ya.”

Shigeo tosses the remaining blankets off of him and gets his feet underneath him. The dizzy spell doesn’t last very long this time, and even if it had, it’s not like it would stop him. The woman tilts her head in the direction of a hall across the room, and when she turns and starts that way, Shigeo makes to follow.

Then he notices Reigen’s jacket—the one he’d let Shigeo borrow—draped over the back of a chair in front of the fireplace.

After a slight hesitation, Shigeo retraces his steps and snatches it up. It’s completely dry now, dry and warm, and as soon as he has it tucked close to his chest, he spins on his heel and jogs after the woman again.

“Y’know, I never did get your name,” she says just as he catches up. “Your dad called you ‘Shige’, s’that right?”

“I-It’s Shigeo, actually,” he says shakily. He can’t tell if the use of the nickname was intentional or just a mishear on her part, but either way, the anticipation is making his head spin again. “What’s your name?”

“Name’s Akito.”

“Th-Thank you for saving us, Akito-san.”

“Don’t sweat it, son, don’t sweat it.” They come to a closed door, and she sets her hand on the knob and pauses, turning back to him. “Kaito went to get some tea started, I’ll have him bring some back to you two. Sound good?”

Shigeo nods, fiddling with the hem of his shirt, resisting the urge to bounce. Akito opens the door, and after a small, shy look to her and seeing her affirming nod, Shigeo shuffles inwards. The door clicks shut behind him.

It’s some kind of study, by the looks of it, with lots of bookshelves and even a grand piano in the corner. The windows have curtains over them, and there’s a furnace in here, which gives off not only heat, but a warm, orange-yellow light, too. It’s a nice looking room, but that isn’t really what Shigeo is concerned with right now.

There’s a couch by one of the bookshelves, about twice as big as the couch back at their apartment, and Reigen is asleep on it, covered in several blankets, wearing a long-sleeved shirt that Shigeo has never seen before.

Shigeo swallows hard, suddenly very aware of everything that’d happened, everything that led up to this point, everything he’d said and done that brought them here. He feels small. Scared, even. He clutches the jacket closer to his chest, but it does nothing to comfort him. If anything, it just makes him feel worse.

He shuffles over to the couch, hesitates longer than he should’ve, and pokes Reigen’s shoulder.

The touch was light, too light, but the response is immediate. Reigen’s eyes snap open, land on Shigeo, widen. Shigeo gulps and, before he knows what he’s doing;

“I-I’m sorry, th-this is my fault, I-I shouldn’t’ve asked about the sunset or the lighthouse or the—h-here, here’s your jacket back, I-I’m—”

Reigen yanks him into his arms. Shigeo yelps, not expecting it, and the jacket slips from his grip and lies in a heap on the floor, but Reigen doesn’t seem to care.

“Oh, god—” Reigen sounds breathless, like he’d just run a long time. Or is close to crying. “I’m glad you’re okay, Shigeo, I’m just so glad you’re okay—”

Shigeo takes a moment, contemplates this. “Y-You… you aren’t upset?”

“Of course I’m not, I couldn’t be, oh god, Shige, I’m so sorry, oh my god I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”

He’s… warm.

This probably should’ve been the first thing Shigeo noticed, but now, as Reigen goes on babbling, he has the chance to breathe. To feel Reigen’s arms around him, his heartbeat close to his ear.

He’s… really okay.

He really is okay.

The tears that have been steadily gathering ever since the moment Reigen fell finally reach a breaking point, and this confirmation is the defining crack in the bottle. Before Shigeo realizes what’s happening, he’s suffocating on his tears and wrapping his arms around Reigen as tightly as he can.

“I-I th-thought you—” he chokes out, voice a broken mess. “I-I—I d-didn’t know if you—I-I thought—”

Reigen drags in a long, shaky breath and holds him closer, tighter. “I know, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry—you must’ve been so scared, I—I’m sorry, Shige—I’m okay now, you’re okay, it’s okay—”

Reigen holds him tighter, and Shigeo cries until he can’t cry anymore.

Akito and Kaito are relieved to see the two of them back on their feet. Shigeo is unsteady and Arataka is even unsteadier, but now that the weight of impending doom and death has been raised from their shoulders, they find their steps light. And that’s not just because of how lightheaded they are.

“You’re free to stay another night or two if you want,” Akito offers the following afternoon, after they slept the night in the study at hers and Kaito’s home. “It might do you some good to recuperate s’more before hitting the road again.”

“I think we’re alright,” Arataka says, “but thank you. It isn’t a long drive from here, we should be alright. I really can’t thank you enough for everything.”

Akito waves her hand and shakes her head along with it. “Nah, you two are fine. I’m glad we were able to help, you’re both very lucky.”

Arataka thanks her again, though, and so does Shigeo, and neither one of them stop until they give their final farewells and head up the shore back towards the car. They make a quick stop by the lighthouse, just so Arataka can retrieve his phone (which they’d both completely forgotten about, when it’d skidded out of Arataka’s hold), but then they’re in the car and homeward bound.

The ride is quiet. Shigeo keeps his eyes glued to the road, but Arataka still catches him glancing his way every so often. Shigeo always looks away before he has the chance to ask what’s wrong, but he knows better than to push it after all that’d happened. It’s been a long past couple of days; he’ll definitely be calling into Shigeo’s school for a sick day tomorrow because god knows he isn’t going to be ready for that.

“Do you wanna stop by and get ramen or something on the way home?” Arataka asks once the silence has stretched beyond its welcome. “It doesn’t have to be ramen, just whatever you feel like eating.”

Shigeo is quiet for a while. He fiddles with the strap of his seatbelt.

“C… Can we just go home, m-maybe?”

That’s unusual, but Arataka gets it. He doesn’t feel much like a restaurant, either.

“Alright, sounds good to me,” he says. “Would you mind me stopping by somewhere and getting some takeout, though? I really don’t feel like cooking right now.”

(That, and cooking has never been his forte, and it just so happened that whenever he concocted something actually worth being happy with, the accursed cat either knocked it off the table or ate it himself.)

Shigeo pauses a moment before nodding, and Arataka takes a side-street down to the nearest restaurant—which just so happens to be a small ramen shop, though not one they’ve frequented often. Or, ever.

Arataka cuts the engine, stuffs the keys into the pocket of his jacket. Shigeo unbuckles himself, and once they’re both out of the car, they head inside. Shigeo’s hand slips into his and Arataka squeezes his fingers.

The shop isn’t exactly busy; there’s no line when they step through the door; but the tables are filled and there’s a waiting bench already. Arataka watches Shigeo’s posture, and when he sees no change, they head to the counter and Arataka orders for the both of them.

“Is the wait long?” he asks once he’s placed and payed, stuffing his wallet into his pocket.

The man behind the counter shakes his head. “No, no, we should have it ready for you two in maybeeee… ten minutes, tops, if you’re alright to wait a bit.”

“Alright, thank you. C’mon, Shige.”

There aren’t any benches, so Arataka leans against a wall out of the way, and Shigeo leans in close to his side. Shigeo has never been particularly against physical contact, but he’s never the one to initiate it, and the fact that he is now leaves a pang in Arataka’s heart that has no right being there. He brings an arm around Shigeo and tugs him closer, and Shigeo responds by wrapping his arms around his waist and holding tightly.

Arataka’s name is called for the order shortly thereafter, and they’re set for home, for real this time.

“A-Are you sure you’re okay with me eating on the couch?”

“Yep!” Arataka says, popping the cap off his cup of ramen and dumping it into a bowl. Their jackets, scarves and gloves are in a sorry heap by the door, and the two of them are in the kitchen, dishing up their takeout. Arataka snags a pair of chopsticks, takes his bowl, and starts into the living room. “C’mon, Shige.”

Shigeo sets aside his own empty takeout cup, and Arataka hears his careful footsteps behind him. “W-What happens if it gets spilled?”

“Then we’ll clean it up!”

“A-Are you s—”

“Absolutely positive, kiddo.”

Arataka is already out the couch, and he sets his bowl and chopsticks down on the coffee table while he gets situated. Shigeo appears through the doorway moments later, settling his own bowl down beside Arataka’s and taking a seat with him on the couch. Arataka reaches behind them, grabs the quilt draped over the back, and swings it around the two of them in one fluid motion.

“There,” Arataka says, offering him a smile. “Nice and warm, yeah?”

Shigeo blinks at him, and he nods, but he doesn’t smile. He does, however, tuck himself closer against Arataka’s side, and Arataka’s smile grows softer, more genuine, as he pulls the blanket further around his shoulders.

“You doing okay?”

He feels Shigeo nod against his side.

“It’s alright if you aren’t, kiddo.”

“No, I’m okay,” Shigeo says, very quietly. “I’m—I’m okay.”

Arataka isn’t convinced, but he doesn’t push it.

Dimple appears just as they start eating, which, of course he does, but it still scares the crap out of Arataka and he almost flails himself right into his bowl of ramen. Shigeo, unfazed, offers Dimple a noodle (that he does not deserve, and Arataka makes this very clear, though Shigeo’s response is to give him another noodle and he gives up immediately).

“R-Reigen?”

He’s poked.

“Reigen?”

He’s poked again. He feels it a little more this time.

“Reigen are you awake?”

He’s poked one more time.

“R… Reigen?”

He’s shaken this time, just barely enough to pull him from his slumber. Moonlight creeps through the blinds, creating stripes across his bed and his face. He blinks and rubs at his eyes for a moment or two, propping himself up on his elbow. Shigeo’s face, only half-illuminated by moonlight, swims into view.

“Sorry, I’m up, I’m up,” Arataka says, shaking his head to chase away the remaining drowsiness. “What’s the matter, buddy?”

“T-The…” Shigeo fiddles with the hem of his shirt, eyes on the floor. “Th-The ghosts are trying to steal my slippers again.”

“Are they, now?”

Shigeo nods, still fiddling, still rocking from his heels to his toes. Arataka is much more awake than before, and it isn’t long before he’s smiling gently and scooting over.

“C’mon, kiddo.”

Shigeo doesn’t wait a second longer. He practically leaps into the bed, diving under the covers like a kid afraid of the dark, curling close to Arataka’s side.

“Oh my god, you're freezing,” he gasps, resisting the instinct to pull away. “What, were you standing out in the hall this whole time?”

Shigeo’s voice is small. “M-Maybe.”

That wasn't the answer he was expecting. He'd meant it as a joke. With a sigh, he pats the blankets around them both, then brings his arms around Shigeo and pulls him closer. Shigeo doesn’t object.

“... Hey, Shigeo…”

“Mm…?”

“You don’t have to make up stories to justify staying with me, you know. You can come to me for anything at all, no matter how silly or stupid you may think it is.”

Shigeo turns his face against his chest and keeps it buried there. “B-But it is silly.”

“It isn’t silly to me, I promise.”

Shigeo doesn’t say anything for a while, and Arataka draws a long breath and lets it out slowly.

“I’m not gonna make you tell me, Shige. It’s okay. And it’s also okay to wanna stay with me. You don’t need to find some kind of explanation. I don’t need one.”

“Are… r-really?”

“Yeah, I promise. You can tell me anything you wanna tell me, no matter how silly or serious it is, but more than anything else, I wanna be here for you whenever you need me. You don’t have to explain yourself.”

Admittedly, he already knows why Shigeo wanted to stay with him tonight. And he gets the feeling that Shigeo knows he knows. But regardless, it doesn’t change the weight of his words, and it doesn’t change Shigeo’s nod.

“Th-Thank you.”

Arataka smiles and rests his chin atop Shigeo’s head, shutting his eyes. “You’re welcome. Don’t be afraid to wake me up if you need something.”

Shigeo nods again, and Arataka closes his eyes. A silence befalls them, broken only by their breathing, and Arataka is this close to falling asleep when there’s this horrible, grating sound by the foot of the bed.

It really is the worst thing he’s ever heard.

And he’s heard it before.

“Aww,” Shigeo says, like it’s actually cute, “Dimple feels left out.”

“Good.”

“Reigen that’s mean.”

“He literally pees in the bed, that’s mean, too.”

“He’s trying his best.”

“Okay, but—”

There’s that godforsaken meow again. This time, Arataka heaves a long, heavy sigh and runs a hand over his face.

“Okay, okay fine, fine, he can sleep with us, but just this on—”

Shigeo squeezes him around the waist, which both cuts off his words and his airway for a moment, but then he lets go and pats the bed instead. “C’mon, Dimple, you can come up here!” A weight dips the bed and Arataka sighs again, heavier this time.

It doesn’t take long for Dimple to get settled down at the foot of the bed, and once a calm has befallen the room once more, Arataka lets himself relax. If it makes Shigeo happy, well. He really can’t mind too much.

“... Hey, um… Reigen?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you, um… would you mind if I called you dad?”

Ah.

… ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh gOD—

He pushes back the almost irresistible urge to crush Shigeo in a bearhug and instead settles for just, pulling him closer. His heart is soaring. “Of course you can, Shige, of course you can,” Arataka says, unable to keep the giddiness from his tone. “Just… whatever you want to call me.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Shigeo would seem nonchalant, if Arataka hadn’t known him better. If Arataka hadn’t known him well enough to catch every slight subtlety in his tone, the small but very real joy behind it. “Th… Thank you. Goodnight.”

“‘Night, Shige.”

“I… love you, Reig—Dad.”

Oh his heart is skyborne he may as well be in the stratosphere—

He can’t help the giddy laugh, the goofy smile, the kiss he presses against Shigeo’s forehead, and he murmurs, “I love you too, kiddo.”

Shigeo hugs him even tighter and Arataka returns the gesture wholeheartedly.

He doesn’t sleep until he’s heard Shigeo’s breathing even out and felt his shoulders relax. Only then, when he’s sure Shigeo is okay, does he allow sleep to overcome him, too.

#Sims!MP100 AU #Sims!MP100 #cloud writes #dad reigen #this is literally the purest AU and i'm really glad it stayed that way #bc it almost didn't #but everything turned out okay in the end !!!#thankfully #also tumblr stop deleting my formatting challenge #oh well

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