Walking through the entrance of his home, Hiroki tossed his long braided hair over his shoulder. His skirt extended down to his ankles, a shirt covered his chest, a variety of necklaces adorned his neck, and earrings became a recent body modification. Right beside him, a little boy with shaggy brown hair tagged along, one of their adopted children who they renamed Nobuyuki. He wore a short skirt which reached his knees and sandals.
Looking behind him, Nowaki and their oldest child with long braided black hair, who they renamed Hikari, held onto his hand. Hikari wore a long dress, sandals, and flowers braided into her hair. Nowaki wore a long skirt, a flower crown, made by their daughter, and his short hair grew to the middle of his back. Hiroki couldn't help his smirk at seeing Nowaki's long hair.
So much for keeping it short.
He suspected his passing comment on loving to grip Nowaki's hair during certain activities, prompted his husband to leave his hair alone. They tended to trim each other's hair and brush out knots as a new element of intimacy between the both of them. Nowaki, who somehow kept his hair tangle-free, didn't hold his hair back a majority of the time.
This change happened before their children came along.
Nowaki beamed at their daughter, who tried pulling him toward the entrance. Despite the headaches that happened at times with their beloved children, he held no regrets when they adopted Hikari and Nobuyuki. Having grown up as an orphan, he understood the impact of parents to an undesirable child. They yearned for the same experience as other children and wanted nothing more than to have a parent.
His own personal experience came to mind when their children's biological mother appeared on their doorstep.
When their daughter was a toddler, and their son, a newborn baby, their true blood mother died of heartbreak.
The woman's husband died from a sudden sickness during the final hurdle of her pregnancy. Once the husband was buried, she wandered around in a catatonic state. Her daughter's crying broke her out of her spells of shock for brief moments, but not enough to function well. The villagers helped her with food in order to lessen the stress load of the death of her husband and the oncoming aftermath of raising a newborn and a toddler.
Hiroki and himself visited her, wanting to see the newest addition to their fold. The woman appeared worn and tired, not even smiling at the comment of health when the Shaman inspected her new son. Everyone brushed it aside as tiredness from giving birth. Fuyumi tossed this theory out since many of the women tended to have little energy after going through such an experience.
She didn't recover after the birth of her son. Physically, she healed well, but her mental state deteriorated once left alone with her children. No one noticed any different or chose to not bother her in her grief, thinking it would pass due to busying herself with multiple aspects of her life.
One morning, appearing dead on the outside to match her interior, the young mother bowed to Hiroki and Nowaki, pleading them to adopt her children. Stunned, Hiroki and the woman exchanged words, Nowaki tried distracting their future daughter through speaking to her. The woman broke down into tears, admitting her faults and lack of ability in taking care of her children on her own.
In a way, Hiroki judged her for having given up fast when she had two little kids to raise. After thinking about it, he understood that grief overtook this woman, consuming her to the point where it masked her love for her children. Sharing a brief look, Nowaki collected the children in his arms, careful in handling the newborn in one arm, and holding the infant by her hand.
Hikari and Nobuyuki became the new inclusions to their family that afternoon.
The best additions they never thought they needed.
"Daddy!" Hikari gripped Nowaki's hand, tugging him to hurry down the trail. Her pout brought an amused smile on her parents faces. "C'mon, we'll miss the ceremony! I heard Uncle Misaki is wearing the flower crown I made him. I had to fight Uncle Aki's cousins to have Uncle Misaki keep it."
Nowaki chuckled, picking up the little girl and booped her nose. "The ceremony won't start until the other village arrives, dear. Trust me, Aki won't start the vows without us in the front row." Nobuyuki ran to Nowaki's side, putting up his arms in the motion of wanting to be picked up. Nowaki spared no second to waste and crouched down to pick up his son.
The children loved being picked up by their tall daddy. They loved the height and saw the horizon over the bushes without a problem. Although, their papa handled heavier weight like nothing and the both of them without straining himself.
Hiroki scoffed. "Aki's village is still irritated that Aki and Misaki decided on holding their ceremony here. I mean, Aki visits here often enough that he's already a part of our population. My father still scolds him like a child. He's ours at this point."
Nobuyuki and Hikari giggled at the mention of their uncle Aki. The silver haired man spoiled them on purpose to irritate their papa.
Hiroki glanced at both of his children. "Don't you dare copy Aki's behavior. I won't have my kids follow in his footsteps."
"Okay, papa!"
Nowaki shook his head. "I have to agree with your papa." He kissed the top of his children's heads, both of them squealed. "Do not follow Aki's example...or the behavior of his younger cousins either."
At the reminder of Aki's little cousins, a trio of hellions who caused trouble, that appeared eerily similar to Aki, Hiroki cringed. "Don't bring those three up, Nowaki. I don't know how Takahashi handles that family in general. The father, brother-in-law, and those cousins! Patience of a saint, I tell you."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
In the middle of the village, Misaki wore a colorful flower crown on top of his head. Wearing his usual clothing, slight differences came from the small braids cascading down his back and intricate jewelry that Aki somewhat forced onto him. Well, Aki gifted them to him throughout the years in order to win his affections. He fiddled with his medium length hair, trying to keep himself distracted from thinking about his husband-to-be's dramatic entrance.
Imagining younger Misaki's denial brought a snicker out of him, breaking some of his nervousness. The mere thought of having anxious feelings for Aki's arrival was impossible back in those days. Aki's pushiness scared him and did nothing more than put a strain on an otherwise decent acquaintanceship. Bringing back his attitude, Aki managed to wear his way into his heart.
A significant amount of time passed before Aki pulled Misaki into a kiss, a bruising and breathtaking kiss which stole Misaki's breath away. A surprise kiss which prompted Misaki to push Aki into a lake. A good portion of people caught the mortifying moment where it spread throughout the island fast.
Aki still received comments about letting his guard down.
When Aki appeared at Misaki's side, Misaki's face flushed pink from the sight of flowers threaded through Aki's hair. Aki kept an air of elegance about him through the well crafted jewelry and colorful clothing he wore. On this day, Aki didn't show overabundance in his appearance, wearing only flowers and the usual clothing on himself.
Peeking back at the crowd, he saw Aki's extended family in the front rows. Many of Aki's relatives warmed up to him without any issue, washing away any reservations in thinking they disliked him. Out of all of them, three little boys followed after him the moment he met them. All three of them looked like Aki. Same silver hair, purple eyes, he almost thought Aki married someone else before meeting him. Taking their age into account, this wasn't the case.
Admitting his forgetfulness on the children's real names, he nicknamed them, Mamo, Dai, and Mako. The little boys trailed behind him, thrilled to have his attention onto them. He didn't understand why the family warned him of their mischievous ways, they seemed bored out of their minds more than anything. Kids needed constant attention. He loved giving it to them, these children reminded him of his nephew Mahiro, who grew up without his uncle doting on him. Replacements in a way, but he cared for them.
Aki's father, stood on the sidelines, grinning from ear to ear. After searching for a suitable partner for his youngest son for years, one appeared on the island due to an accident of fate. Out of all the interested suitors, Misaki amused everyone on his naivete and obliviousness of Aki's intentions.
Regardless, Misaki knew how to handle his son and kept him in line.
Somewhat.
Herbs were flung at the couple, prompting a snicker from Hiroki at Aki's scandalous and dumbfounded reaction. Misaki somewhat flinched but kept his composure.
Once the ceremony finished, The Shaman gave one last sentiment and lasting words, before commanding. "You may seal the union with a kiss."
"You're mine." Aki laid a chaste kiss on Misaki's lips.
Misaki arched a brow. "Care to repeat that?"
"You're mine." Aki repeated to Misaki, smirk in place, he kissed him again.
Hiroki rolled his eyes, unfazed at the display of affection before him. Beside him, he heard Nowaki chuckle in amusement. Irony passed through their minds as the memory of Misaki claiming Aki as a stalker, someone to stay clear from. Misaki wanted nothing to do with Aki. Now, Misaki encouraged Aki's romantic gestures, to a certain point. Misaki still remained the same spazz from years ago.
Case in point, when Aki tried sneaking a feel to Misaki's butt, Misaki noticed and pushed Aki away before walking away in a huff. Red faced and embarrassed, Misaki ignored Aki's half-hearted apology. Aki's little cousins blocked Aki, sticking their tongues at him before running after their favorite person.
Nowaki leaned close to Hiroki's ear, whispering to him. "Do you think Aki will learn not to grope Misaki in public?"
"Hell no." Hiroki scoffed. "He only learned to pick and choose his battles. He'll run after Takahashi soon enough." On cue, Aki ran off after his spouse, side stepping his cousins to get ahead. "Told you."
Xxxxxxxx
Despite having two extra rooms built for the children, Hikari and Nobuyuki had a habit in crawling into their bed. Hiroki put a boundary on this habit where the children were allowed in their bed on special occasions or nightmares. Hikari and Nobuyuki knew better than to attempt to push this issue onto Hiroki when he laid the law. Aki and Misaki's wedding suited this clause, so they huddled near the entrance of the main bedroom, holding their own furs in their arms.
Once Hiroki gave them a nod, Hikari and Nobuyuki ran into their makeshift bed. They went underneath the blankets, cuddling up in the middle of the couple, rolling around until getting comfortable. Their cold feet brushed against their parents' warm legs, making Hiroki and Nowaki shiver.
Hiroki ruffled his children's hair, not at all annoyed at their wandering feet. "You two are demons."
Hikari pouted. "Papa, we're not demons."
Nobuyuki huffed. "No, we're not."
Hiroki laid back on the furs, stretching out his worn out limbs. Teasing clear in his tone, he repeated himself. "Demons."
Nowaki snickered, pressing a kiss on their children's foreheads. "Don't take his words to heart, your papa was a demon when he was little. Your grandma tended to worry about him because of his dangerous stunts."
"Really?" Both of them gaped in shock.
"Slander! Lies." Hiroki rolled on his side, poking his children's noses with his pointer finger. "Sleep."
"Aw, but why?" As she said this, Hikari yawned, Nobuyuki followed suit.
"That's why." Hiroki informed them. "The whole day was tiring. I'm not surprised that the two of you are tired."
"Your papa is right. You two," Nowaki shuffled the blankets around the kids with a fond smile. "need to go to sleep. Okay? Good night, everyone." Nowaki muttered as he began falling asleep.
Hiroki put an arm around the kids and their bundle of blankets. Taking in the three of them, he whispered into the night. "Good night."
Hearing a roaring engine in the distance, Nowaki paused in his current project. Peeking up, the gaps in the canopy gave him a view of the sky, he saw the trail of exhaust which came from the plane flying over the island. From the few seconds he caught the aircraft, he noticed a vast difference in design and slimness in the body.
Four of his seven grandchildren, the rest wandered about on the island, had their eyes directed at the sky. All of them curious about the foreign noise. Readying himself for the onslaught of questions, he paused in his sandal making. When they began asking about the odd noise, in recent times, more airplanes came close to the island, he gave them an honest answer, their eyes widened, another barrage of questions came at him.
Amused at their interest, he provided the best knowledge he gathered from the technology he remembered before washing up on the island. From the obvious aging of his face, he assumed the technology back in Tokyo—around the world—changed far beyond his imagination. Meaning, his education in such matters was outdated in that sense.
One of his grandchildren, a real chatterbox, kept on trying to get down to the basics of everything he talked about. A real curious one whose curiosity never sated to keep him quiet.
After a while, he made a polite interjection to this child before he ran out of breath. "I don't know everything, Hiroshi." Many of the boys born from their children had a variation of their names to honor them. Funny enough, Hiroshi was vastly different from his stern grandfather.
Hiroshi pouted. "But you know way more about the outside than grandfather and great grandmother."
Nowaki reached out his hand and ruffled Hiroshi's black hair into a mess. "Not everything."
"Getting hassled by the brats again?" Hiroki made his appearance past the brush of bushes. His hair transitioned from brown to silver with portions of brown peeking through. His face became riddled with deep set wrinkles on his forehead and laugh lines around his mouth.
Nowaki couldn't help but smile at the sight of him.
"No!" Came a simultaneous reply of disbelief from their grand kids.
Nowaki showed the prominent laugh lines and wrinkles which formed from age during his chuckle. "Hiroki-san, you're the one who tends to say they hassle you. You love them, regardless of their endless questions about everything."
Hiroki walked closer, laid a hand on Nowaki's shoulder and snorted. "I never said I didn't love these brats." He muttered low enough for Nowaki to hear. "I tolerate them." Leaning down, he pressed a kiss on top of Nowaki's head, bringing a beaming smile from his husband.
Nowaki tilted his head back and winked, "You forgot your morning kiss."
"Ah," Hiroki smiled light before pressing their lips together. "I knew I forgot something." Stretching upright, he tapped his lower back just as their grandchildren faked disgust at their kiss.
"Hmm...try not to forget again." Nowaki teased him.
Thoughts of current Tokyo left his mind as he recalled the loves of his life: Hiroki, his children, and his grandchildren.
The End.