𝙵𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝙼𝚈 𝙻𝙰𝚆𝚈𝙴𝚁

Chapter 7

<End>

I was blind to not have noticed....that the reason she still had fear in her eyes...was because while she did have a child with me...she was seeing someone else behind my back. All that fear...was because she thought I would find out...

M/n kept his gaze on S/n.

If only he didn't look like her...If only he looked like me...so that any trace of her can disappear. After all, S/n was barely 3 months old when I found out what she was doing. And to think...we married before S/n came along...I regret it. I regret it so much. But, the reason I keep on is that I have a responsibility. The responsibility of being a father to a son abandoned by the person who brought him to this world. I wouldn't give up the world for S/n...because S/n is my world. I need to be there for him. To show him that even though my other half is missing, he'll only see me as a whole. And be everything he needs from a parent.

As M/n was about to get up, he felt a grip on his hand. "Papa..."

He turned his head towards S/n, who looked up at him through sleep-filled, half-lidded eyes. "Stay with me...?"

"Sure, bud...", M/n replied, smiling gently. 

S/n moved a little, letting M/n sit by him. The little boy placed his head on M/n's lap. He took the hint and brushed his hair away from his face. "Papa...?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm happy with you..."

Those words made M/n's eyes widen. "I want you to stay with me... I don't need mama... I just want you, Papa... You make me happy... Please don't leave me..."

"Oh, S/n...why would you ever think I would leave you?", he asked, stroking S/n's hair.

"Because I bother Papa a lot..."

"No, you don't, S/n..."

"You're not mad...?"

"Of course not... I could never be mad at you... "

S/n smiled slightly. "That makes me happy..."

Then, the room was once again filled with small breaths. M/n felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes.

To me, you are more precious than any jewel.

--

"Hey", Misaki greeted as she saw her brother close the door behind him.

M/n walked over to her and sat down beside her. "Is S/n sleeping?'

"Yeah..."

"Hold on. Were you crying?"

M/n turned his head away from her. "Shut up..."

"Seriously..."

She grabbed the sides of his face and forced him to turn his head towards her. "What happened?"

She moved her hands, letting M/n wipe his watery eyes. He sighed and stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking. "S/n...was telling me not to leave him."

"What?"

"He went on and said he didn't need a mother...that he only needed me to stay by his side... And-- I don't know... It triggered something in me...because I was just thinking about it...I really can't leave that kid..."

Misaki watched as M/n once again wiped his tears away. "S/n makes you so emotional...doesn't he?"

M/n nodded. "Yeah... I guess he does. But, anyway, what's up with you?"

"Hmm? Oh. It's been good. The professor says I'm improving drastically."

"I see. That's good to hear. You're finishing out the semester by now, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And tuition?"

"No. Don't worry about it. I got a job this summer and--"

She was surprised to see her brother's eyes narrowed on her. He sighed. "What did I tell you?"

"Come on. M/n, I can't rely on you forever--"

"That's not what I mean. I told you to let me take care of tuition. You just focus on your studies for now. And if you want a job, that's on you. But, leave the tuition costs for me. That's one of my responsibilities as your older brother."

"But--"

"No buts. I got the costs covered. The last thing you should be worrying about is how to pay for your classes. After all, aren't you studying to be a crime scene investigator? That takes studying. Don't worry about tuition."

"Alright, fine. You win."

"Oh. What are you two still doing up at this hour?"

They both turned to their parents. "Sorry. Did we wake you?"

"No. Not at all. But."

"Huh?"

"This scene reminds me a lot of the past", their mother said with a tender smile. "You two used to stay up all night like this. Just talking."

"That's true."

"Well, since we're all up, why don't I make us some tea?"

"Sure."

"I'll help you if you want."

"Don't worry, big bro. I'll help mom this time."

"Okay."

M/n watched as his mother and sister walked off, heading to the kitchen. Mitch sat down on the couch with a sigh. "So, S/n's finally in preschool, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you would homeschool him. It came as a surprise to me that you didn't."

"Yeah, well...It's not a bad thing to get them to socialize from a young age. It's something my father never did."

Mitch pat his back. "But, you know, M/n."

"Huh?"

"You didn't grow up to be like him. He was your example of what choices not to make in life. You did good in following his example. Because the M/n I see...is a man truly worthy of praise. It amazes me how you manage to balance everything out in your life. You're taking care of your little boy while you work an extremely busy job. That in itself is amazing. I know I could never do that."

M/n ran his hand through his hair before sighing. "He always said I'd be an alcoholic like he was..."

"No matter what he said you would become, you became the opposite. You became the man he was afraid to become. And that's what makes you stronger than he will ever be."

"I guess you're right...Thanks..."

Mitch was surprised at his words. "I know I might have acted like a complete asshole back when you and mom got together, unlike Misaki. But...thanks for staying by my side. I really don't deserve your kindness."

"Come on, M/n. It's not like you couldn't help not liking me in the beginning. After all, you're older than Misaki. You knew your father longer than she did, and so you found it harder to accept a new father figure in your life. Especially after what happened with your biological father. I don't blame you for hating me in the beginning. It's not your fault. After all, you only knew what you saw from your father."

"Still...that doesn't excuse my behavior."

"And what happened then, M/n? Didn't I try my absolute hardest to make you see me in a new light? And then what happened? You came to warm up to me, right?"

M/n chuckled under his breath. "Yeah..."