Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Probably unnecessary, but here's a mini summary for every chapter so you can pick and choose what's most interesting.

1. Cotton Candy and Pandas: Kotarou, Ryuu, Hayato, and Taka go to the festival. Kotarou still won't eat cotton candy, Taka has too much energy, and Ryuu cannot pay attention to his surroundings.

2. Farting Parade: Usaida and the kids rehearse for their little parade. It was way too coordinated and chaotic for Usaida not to be involved in the creation of such a parade.

3. Kota's First Word: Kotarou says his first word to the surprise of his family.

4. A Friendly Garden: when Kotarou gets to pick what Taka and him will be doing one afternoon, Taka finds himself having to tend to some plants.

5. Disaster Dinner: Kotarou tries his best, but sometimes it doesn't pan out. Cooking with fire is one of those less fortunate times. Luckily Ryuu is always there to help.

6. Spin Test: Yuki learns something about Maria's taste in clothes when they shop together.

7. Umbrella Care: Inomata helps Kotarou cope with his fear of getting his umbrella sick.

Chapter Text

It had taken Ryuuichi some time to realize that his little brother had never actually eaten cotton candy. Sure, he's stared at it with that bright-eyed wonder in his eyes, seeing something truly special in the candy, but he has never eaten it. Ryuuichi's eyebrow twitched thinking about the few times in the past couple of years he'd indulged and bought his brother cotton candy only for Kotarou to never eat it, only staring at it, willing it to stay fluffy forever before it deflates and leaves the boy disappointed. Maybe if Kotarou ate a little bit of cotton candy he would start actually eating it when it was bought for him. Ryuuichi created his plan, determined to have Kotarou taste one of the fluffiest and most sugary treats the world had to offer.

Ryuuichi didn't think his plan through too much, thinking that if he bought himself cotton candy and ate it before offering Kotarou a bite, the boy, now in the second grade, would take it. He had to wait until a festival happened, and of course he went with the Kamitani brothers, Taka dragging Kotarou like a helium balloon behind him. Hayato stared on in irritation, mumbling about "if that brat gets lost…" and Ryuuichi sweating slightly while trying to calm down the older Kamitani brother with a promise that they would not lose sight of the two kids.

"Taka-kun talks really loud," Ryuuichi pointed out, "if we lose sight of him we'd only have to wait until he talks." Hayato seemed to accept this reassurance and fell into step beside Ryuuichi. "Hey, Kamitani," Ryuuichi asked, and Hayato glanced at him, slowing his pace to match that of the now intensely thinking Ryuuichi, "do you want to buy cotton candy?" Hayato made a noise in the back of his throat.

"And give the little idiot a sugar rush?" Hayato responded, staring ahead at where Taka was pointing at games, saying how good he was at all of them despite never having played them to Kotarou, who full-heartedly believed him and nodded to every statement. Hayato scrapped up his sense of humor and turned to Ryuuichi. "Your little brother looks like of like a bobblehead when he nods like that." Ryuuichi made a noise similar to a poorly held back laugh before looking at the cotton candy booth with an intense determination. He bought the cotton candy.

"Kotarou! Taka-kun!" Ryuuichi called out from where he and Hayato stood next to the cotton candy booth, out of the way of people walking. The two boys instantly ran over to Ryuuichi, Kotarou stumbling on the last couple of steps when Taka sped up and he couldn't keep up. Taka was tugging at his brother pleading to play all of the games and eat some cotton candy as Hayato did his best to ignore him and only give a sliver of attention to the Kashima brothers. Kotarou's eyes lit up as he pointed at the cotton candy. Ryuuichi nodded and tore off a piece, eating it. Kotarou's face changed to one of slight horror, only intensifying when Ryuuichi offered a piece of the cotton candy. Taka had gotten bored of his brother ignoring him and turned to Ryuuichi, demanding a piece of the cotton candy. Ryuuichi ruffled Taka's hair and stared at Kotarou, who was still processing that Ryuuichi, the most perfect person in the world, had just destroyed (and eaten) a fluffy pink cloud. "It's really yummy," Ryuuichi promised, and Kotarou reached out to grab a piece of the cotton candy, putting it in his mouth with confusion.

The reaction was instant: Kotarou's face shriveled up as the cotton candy dissolved in his mouth, leaving the taste of pure sugar on his taste buds. He shook his head and looked up at his brother.

"Too sweet," he said choppily, still being a little worse off at speech than his friends, and Ryuuichi tried not to laugh at the slightly adorable face his brother was making.

"Do you want water, Kotarou?" He asked, and when Kotarou nodded he really did look like a bobblehead, Ryuuichi noted as he gave his brother a water bottle. The little boy groaned after gulping down some water and looked at the cotton candy with a slight horrified respect, like when he learned about deadly animals that looked really cute in the photos. He wasn't able to stare at it for long, though, because Taka took a clump of it in his hands and ate it to Hayato's annoyance and Ryuuichi's amusement. Kotarou turned away from the sight and his eyes widened in interest as he looked at some ants on the ground, trailing their march with his eyes. Ryuuichi followed his gaze and chuckled to himself. He then convinced Hayato not to hit Taka, because he didn't want the rest of the cotton candy anyway and he couldn't give it to Kotarou. "Do you want something to eat, Kota—" Ryuuichi blinked and paled at the empty space where his brother was just a few seconds ago. "Do you know where Kotarou is?" He asked Hayato in a hurry. Hayato made a face of confusion, wondering how he was supposed to know. Taka looked up at Ryuuichi and his eyes steeled over in determination.

"I'll find him!" Taka yelled, and before Ryuuichi could respond the kid had already run off. Hayato let out an angered sigh and an incomplete threat under his breath as they raced behind Taka.

"Taka-kun! Don't run ahead! You'll get lost," Ryuuichi called out but Taka wasn't listening, too focused on running in between and even accidentally shoving some people aside in his quest to find his friend.

"He's not even looking at his surroundings," Hayato noted with an edge to his voice. "Taka! Come back here!" Taka rounded a corner and Ryuuichi stopped, staring at a panda plush hanging on a tent with a ring toss game, and the very still Kotarou staring at it. Ryuuichi sighed and turned to Hayato to tell him he'd found Kotarou, but Hayato was gone with dust in his wake.

"Kotarou! You shouldn't run off," Ryuuichi scolded lightly, and Kotarou turned to face him slowly with a confused grunt. Ryuuchi felt his brow twitch the way it did every time Kotarou went into his own little world and wasn't listening.

"Nii-chan, panda." Kotarou pointed at the plushie, and on closer inspection Ryuuichi realized it was Teary-eyed Panda-chan with an almost embarrassed sigh. He took his brother by the hand.

"I really can't tell if you're listening…" Ryuuichi mumbled to himself, before ruffling his brother's hair. "You already have some panda toys at home, Kotarou." Kotarou turned back to face the panda plush and blinked slowly at it. Just then, the wails of Taka were heard and Ryuuichi turned around to see Hayato dragging his little brother by the collar, death glare focused on the air in front of him.

"Taka, stop crying." Hayato nudged his brother ahead of him. "We found Kotarou." Taka immediately stopped crying as he ran towards his friend and enveloped him in a hug that threw Kotarou off balance. Both boys fell on the ground and Kotarou nodded at his friend. Then Taka followed Kotarou's gaze and smiled wide.

"I could win that game for you!" Taka promised, and Ryuuichi scratched the back of his neck with a smile at the kid's antics. "Aniki, I can play!" Hayato found himself wanting to say no, but he had just stopped Taka from yelling and crying so it was easier if he relented.

"Just one try," he said and gave the tent owner 300 yen. Taka gave the sticks he was supposed to get the rings in a look of determination and Kotarou finally looked at Taka with a surprised grunt before staring at the game with a determined look, too, as if the emotional support would carry through. "Just throw it," Hayato said brusquely and Ryuuichi told Taka to take his time. When Hayato stared at him with a raised brow Ryuuichi mouthed 'humor him'.

Surprisingly, all the rings but one landed, and since the two weren't aiming for the big prizes they got the panda and a wolf enamel keychain that Taka found no use for and threw at his brother. Hayato shrugged and said he'd give it to their mother.

"Okay, now what do you two want to eat?" Taka started listing off all the food booths he'd seen, and Kotarou was too busy gazing at the Teary-eyed Panda-chan toy to neither hear nor answer the question. In the end, Hayato decided for them, settling for yakisoba* which the kids liked, and Ryuuichi made sure to walk past the karumeyaki** stand quickly before Taka (or Kotarou) could look at it and ask for any. As a compromise for Kotarou's cotton candy nightmare, Ryuuichi bought him a strawberry crepe, Hayato also relenting and buying Taka a chocolate one. When the festival ended and the group left to go their separate ways, Ryuuichi grinned. "I'm glad we had fun. Thank you for the experience, Kamitani." Hayato nodded and looked up at the moon, waiting for his brother to finish talking so he could go home. "Kotarou, be sure to say thank—" Ryuuichi began, but Kotarou was already hugging Taka and showing off the panda toy with a quiet 'thanks' while Taka said (screamed) it was no problem and bragged about his skills.

"Baa-chan! Panda-chan!" Kotarou said excitedly, showing it to Saikawa as well, and Ryuuichi reminded him to at least say he was home first. Kotarou nodded and said a butchered version of it, but Ryuuichi let it go, announcing himself as well. Saikawa and a reluctant chairwoman welcomed them.

"What an excellent panda toy, Kotarou-sama," Saikawa said. "I am delighted that the two of you had an excellent time." Kotarou grunted happily and said 'panda' again to the chortle disguised as a 'hmph' of the old woman as she walked off with a curt 'good night' and Saikawa left for the night with a formal 'farewell'.

Kotarou put the panda plush on his shelf with a satisfied smile, and once the brothers got ready for bed Kotarou spent a few minutes staring at it much to Ryuuichi's amusement. "Okay, time for your book," Ryuuichi said, and Kotarou grinned as he pointed at the book already on the bed before climbing on it with slight difficulty. Despite not needing the stepladder anymore, he was still a little short for the bed.

Kotarou dreamed of pandas that night.

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Chapter Text

The Kashima parents were a little worried. Baby Kotarou rested in his mother's arms, staring intently at her chin from where he was. Ryuuichi was on the other side of the room studying for a test.

Ryuuchi had said his first word— Mama— at 12 months. From there, month by month his vocabulary had expanded. Kotarou was 16 months and wasn't saying a single word, really. The most they got were nods and an occasional "ooh" or "ung" to something. Kotarou could hear and understand people, and recognized his family (although when father Kashima wore a cap Kotarou had shied away in confusion until the cap was removed and he could see the man's hair or hear his voice).

So why wasn't he saying anything? Baby Kotarou tugged at his mother's shirt and she bounced him, cooing at his flat stare. He seemed more relaxed seeing her hair in its typical style compared to the ponytail from 15 minutes ago— the child had frozen in fear until hearing her voice and calming down, looking for his mother until she reluctantly let her hair down and he finally focused in on her.

Ryuuichi stood up and Kotarou squirmed in his mother's arms to get a better look. The older of the Kashima siblings smiled down at his brother before starting to walk out the door for something to snack on when—

"Nii-cha." The Kashima family froze. Ryuuichi turned around slowly and mother Kashima almost lost her grip on Kotarou. It made sense that would be his first word: the two were often alone together, but even then most parents would be somewhat upset at not being their baby's first word, but also— "nii-cha." Ryuuichi startled and stumbled closer to his brother.

"What is it, Kota-rou?" He asked. Kotarou glanced up at his brother. The Kashima family had found out a long time ago Kotarou responded better if his name was said with a lilt to it. Kotarou held his arms up, wriggling away from his mother's arms. Ryuuichi caught himself somewhere between a warm laugh and a resigned sigh. "You want ups?"

"Ooh." This time, Ryuuichi smiled and picked up Kotarou. Neither of the parents were disappointed, really. Ryuuichi bounced his brother and hummed quietly. He gave a look to his parents. Their faces screamed relief but they understood his look to be of mild exasperation. He couldn't get a snack and keep studying with a baby holding him tightly by the shirt and not having plans of letting go. Mother Kashima giggled and stood up.

"I'll get you a snack, 'onii-chan,'" she offered and dragged her husband with her. They were in the kitchen now and she looked around for something to concoct. Her fingers brushed across the myriad of magnet souvenirs they had collected over their travels. "Thank goodness Kotarou said his first word and we were there for it!" She chirped as she grabbed some crackers and an apple. She'd cut it nicely so Kotarou could eat some that looked fun. Father Kashima nodded.

"I was a little worried he would never talk," he admitted before his shoulders slumped in relief.

"Isn't it just adorable that his first word is his brother?" She cooed. Her husband chuckled.

"I thought you'd be bummed it wasn't you," he said. She shook her head.

"All that matters is that they're happy, healthy, and that I was there for it." She rinsed off the apple and got the knife. "I would have been so upset if we were overseas and Ryuuichi messaged us or didn't tell us until we'd already come back." The apple slices looked like little rabbits and she put them on a plate with the crackers before walking back to the living room of the apartment. Kotarou was still cuddling, and even though he wasn't smiling the Kashima family knew he was happy because of the small blush on his cheeks and nuzzling every once in a while. The rapidly kicking legs was another give-away to the baby's extensive joy. Mother Kashima set down the plate and offered to take Kotarou back. Ryuuichi shook his head.

"I'm sure he'll let go… eventually." Ryuuichi grabbed an apple slice and patted his brother's head. "Look, Kota-rou, apple." Kotarou looked up and stared intently at the snack. Ryuuichi put it in Kotarou's hand. "Ah~" he prompted. Kotarou took a bite out of the apple.

"Ung." He gripped the apple slice for himself and nibbled on it, watching his brother (who was glancing at him occasionally, the cold sweat building on his neck the more he realized his brother might not let go as soon as he had hoped) and then his parents. He held out another apple slice when he was placed in his hand and pointed at his mother. "Ah…" Mother Kashima giggled to herself and grabbed the apple.

"Uwah! Thank you Ko-ta-rou~!" Kotarou's legs kicked faster that time and he nibbled another apple on his own, leaning against Ryuuichi in the process. The blush was more prominent on his cheeks when he settled in. When Ryuuichi tried to transfer Kotarou over to their mother because homework, Kotarou sat in his mother's arms and weakly called out again.

"Ung… Nii-cha…" Ryuuichi sighed internally.

"Kotarou, I need to do homework," Ryuuichi explained. Kotarou, not understanding the concept of homework but understanding what 'no play' sounded like in a sentence, made a wilting noise and leaned into his mother. Mother Kashima clicked her tongue.

"Who wants a storybook?" Mother Kashima asked. Kotarou blinked slowly before lighting up, legs kicking and a more expressive 'ooh!' leaving him. She giggled and carried her baby into his room, grabbing a Panda book (his favorite) and sitting down with the baby in her lap and the book in her hands. "It was a sunny day when Ururun Panda-san wanted to have a picnic…"

Chapter Text

Taka held his breath. He had compromised that after going with (dragging) Kotarou to the arcade (and then Kotarou having to recuperate from the noises and smells— Taka winced remembering that Kotarou cried) that he would accompany him to wherever he wanted, but this…

"You don't want to look at the children's books section in the store? I know you like to keep up with that Panda series even if you don't buy anything." Taka asked awkwardly. Kotarou paused his work before shaking his head with a smile. Taka braced himself and took the hand trowel. He moved to the strawberries before Kotarou saw him and made a distressed noise.

"Not strawberry!" Kotarou said with a hurt expression. "Tomatoes." He moved Taka aside to pat the soil around the strawberries, complimenting the plant without a care that Taka was staring a little.

No wonder he was the vice president of the gardening club.

"So, I'm planting seeds? Here?" Kotarou glanced at where Taka was pointing and shook his head again.

"Moving from pot. Over there." An empty plot of land with "tomatoes" labeled on it and a drawing of a smiling tomato almost mocked Taka with how easy it was to see. How did he even miss the damn thing? Kotarou grabbed an empty pot and demonstrated slowly, placid smile on his face as he bounced on his heels, swaying on them when motioning how Taka should move the plant gently. Taka followed, ignoring the slight tickle of the tomato leaves. "Pat soil." Kotarou mimed patting it. Taka ended up having to be corrected anyway, with Kotarou holding his friend's hands and patting firmly and steadily yet somehow still gentle with the plant. Taka looked at the small tomato plant and imagined how much care Kotarou must have put into it when it was just small leaves sprouting from the ground. It made him feel somewhat warm.

A cool weight was placed on his hands and Taka startled slightly. Kotarou hooked Taka's hands onto the watering can, and Taka held back a small laugh because of course the relatively small watering can had Teary-Eyed Panda-chan on it. Taka sprinkled some water over the tomato plant, hearing the soft plips of the water on the still bare leaves. Kotarou bounced on his heels again, smiling wide before telling Taka to put the can down.

"Now be nice," Kotarou said. "Tomato-chan is so strong." Taka blushed.

"T-Tomato-chan..." Kotarou's expectant eyes swallowed the world around them, "cool."

"Ung!" Kotarou held Taka's hands and grinned huge, eyes closed. Taka returned it.

Okay, maybe gardening was cool if it was with Kotarou.

Chapter Text

Ryuuichi rolled his shoulders tiredly and sighed as he turned the key to his apartment. As much as he loved working with kids, they still had a lot of energy and he was the head babysitter now, meaning that the other babysitters came to him when the kids were too much, and unfortunately the kids were often too much. Whose idea was it to give them cupcakes after lunch? Ryuuichi winced. Oh, right. He was. He had promised, after all, and puppy eyes killed him. Right now, his only priority was a nap and then a quick dinner for himself and his brother. Hayato was eating with his mother tonight. He entered the apartment and locked the door, took off his shoes, and stopped.

Sniff.

Something's burning.

Ryuuichi ran in his socks to where the smell of smoke was stronger, almost slipping as he stumbled into the kitchen. Something was charred on the pan, fire on, seeming to wail and sizzle at the slow death. He rushed over and took it off the burner and turned off the stove. Open the window. Ryuuichi pressed his hands against the kitchen counter, breathing heavily. Then his eyes widened. Kotarou. Ryuuichi turned around quickly enough that he felt dizzy for a split moment, and laid his eyes upon his brother. The just-barely-thirteen year-old was staring at nothing in particular, apron knotted messily and slipping. The potato peeler was in his hand, potato only half peeled, the skin still hanging from it. Kotarou was swaying gently on his heels back and forward. He seemed to have tuned out a long time ago, judging by the burned food.

Still in his uniform, too. It was only half-buttoned. Must have gotten stuck trying to take it off by himself. Ryuuichi sighed and carefully walked up toward his brother, gently waving his hand in from of his face. "Kota-rou," Ryuuichi called gently. Kotarou blinked and almost dropped the potato. His eyes focused and once he recognized his brother, he smiled.

"Nii-san!" Kotarou furrowed his brows. "I wanted to make dinner before you got home," he added after a long breath.

"Spaced out again?" Kotarou looked down with a slightly flustered face. Well, as flustered as he could look considering his facial range.

"The sunlight hit the wall," he half-explained. Then he straightened his posture. "Fish!" Ah, that's what it was supposed to be. Kotarou looked at the charred mess, still smoking slightly, with a disappointed face. Tears welled in his eyes. Ryuuichi panicked.

"You tried your best. Let's make a deal." Kotarou turned his face towards Ryuuichi, staring intently at his brother's tie. Okay, he's listening. "I'll help you with your uniform so you can clean yourself up, and I'll help with dinner. I'm proud that you tried and remembered how to hold the potato peeler," Ryuuichi gestured at the still somewhat steady grip Kotarou had on the half-peeled potato, "but maybe keep off the stove for some time." Hayato had told Ryuuichi that maybe Kotarou would never be able to cook alone, but at least he was trying to learn.

"Ung," Kotarou agreed his a nod, struggling to remove the apron. Ryuuichi moved over to help him. "Nii-san," Kotarou said suddenly after Ryuuichi taught him (again) how to take off a button. Ryuuichi looked at his brother. "Sorry." Ryuuichi smiled.

"As long as you understand. But don't try cooking with fire unless I'm with you, understand?" Kotarou nodded. Then he frowned again.

"My classmates can already cook," he explained, somewhat sad and worried. There was clearly more in his head, but Kotarou could only stare. Ryuuichi wished he was telepathic sometimes. Kotarou stared at the buttons with that same look. Ryuuichi made a small noise. That's the same face he made when he still couldn't tie his shoes after all his friends, even Midori, did. The same look when he is reminded he's holding the pencil wrong.

Scared of falling behind. "Kotarou," Ryuuichi said, laying a hand on his brother's shoulder. Kotarou looked up. "Everyone learns at their own pace. Now, come on, once we're out of uniform we can make something to eat."

A determined look filled Kotarou's eyes. "Ung!" Ryuuichi smiled. His brother may not be like his classmates, but he was determined and kind. He wouldn't have him any other way.

Chapter Text

No one in the Inomata family knows exactly when they as a unit learned that Maria does not like pants. All they really remembered was the oh moment at realizing Maria only ever kicked off pants and was overall happy in skirts and dresses, and the agreement from there on out to only buy her skirts and dresses.

It was also important that Maria was there while shopping, with a book pressed to her face so she could block out the crowds, because even the skirts could be hit-or-miss. A pattern too strong, or an itchy part, or a tag on the side that would lead to discomfort and tears.

Most importantly, however, was the Spin Test. Every skirt and dress Maria wears needs to pass it, even if she doesn't need to spin as much anymore.

Maria has never gone shopping for clothes with friends. However, today was special. Super special. Yuki asked her to go clothes shopping! It was exciting yet somewhat nerve wracking, since she'd never shopped for clothes with someone who wasn't family. She was there forty minutes early, just in case, and Yuki showed up fifteen minutes early and pouted about how Maria was always first.

"I just got here," Maria said, and Yuki didn't believe it. Still, they held hands and Yuki rambled on about how her friends said the store was interesting and had a lot of variety. Maria nodded along and looked at her friend. Yuki had a bounce to her step, something Maria was a little jealous of. Last time she tried to skip like that she was seven and fell immediately after. It was like her body just didn't get how it was supposed to do it, even after she studied for weeks how to add that bounce to her step.

"And we're here!" Yuki announced cheerfully. Maria peeked into the store, where things were divided by what they were with helpful markers all along. Maria started walking towards the skirts and dresses section as always, but Yuki tugged her by the arm in the other direction, and—

Oh.

Pants.

Maria wriggled her hands out of Yuki's hold and stared at the pants section with a silent dread. She hadn't been forced to wear any in over ten years and only wore leggings under the skirts when it was cold. Still, maybe this was a normal part of shopping with friends? Should she at least pretend to look through the pants and say that nothing was to her liking? The anxiety was overwhelming; Maria was rooted to the spot. Yuki turned around from where she was looking at pastel shorts, and Maria snapped herself out of it to look at them.

"Maria-chan," Yuki started, "These would look so cute on you! You should try them on." Maria grimaced. Surely she could do this for a friend?

"I don't really like pants," she mumbled. It was inaudible and Yuki went to look at some capris before turning to Maria again. Sweat was forming on Maria's palms. "I can't wear pants," Maria blurted out. It didn't matter what stranger heard it at this point. Yuki cocked her head and put the pants back. "I've just never likes pants. They're so uncomfortable and hard to put on."

"Oh, okay. Thanks for telling me. To the skirts section, then!" They looked through several styles, and Maria discreetly rubbed her fingertips between the fabric of each skirt. The only true disappointment at that point was a cute long skirt with a cartoon flower and bunny plastered all over it but it had polyester of all things and her skin crawled when she touched it.

They had about four skirts and a dress for Maria and two dresses and some blouses for Yuki. The dressing rooms allowed for a space to walk out for talking with friends.

"It's super cute on you, Maria-chan!" Yuki said when she saw Maria walk out in one of the longer skirts— a nice pink one with a flower pattern at the hem. Maria looked down with pink cheeks and then, without thinking much of it, spun. The skirt flared out minimally.

"No," Maria mumbled to herself more than anything. "Fails the Spin Test." Yuki blinked.

"Spin Test?" Maria looked up with a small panic in her eyes. She thinks I'm weird and will never talk to me again. I need to explain myself.

"I really like skirts that move out if I spin." Maria shrugged stiffly as she spoke. "I used to spin a lot as a child and sometimes I still do. It's a force of habit." Routine, a small voice spoke up in the back of her head. She avoided looking at Yuki's face, but Yuki made an interested sound.

"It is fun, isn't it?" Yuki's giggle made something in Maria's chest skip a beat. "Maybe I should do the Spin Test with you."

Maria couldn't hold back her grin.

The rest of the skirts flared out at an acceptable level, and one was so pretty when Maria looked at it while spinning that she kept going until Yuki grabbed her arm so she wouldn't fall. It felt liberating to do something like that in front of a friend.

The dress would have been acceptable but it rubbed against her shoulders in the worst way possible and the clothing tag was on the side of all places, so she had to put it back.

Yuki smiled as she spun slightly in one of the dresses. Only one passed the Spin Test, but it wasn't a priority for Yuki so she got them both, and only one of the blouses didn't accentuate her chest so she only got that one.

"You looked so happy while spinning," Yuki said when they bought their clothes. "You should do it more often. I love your smile."

Maria couldn't fight the blush and squeaked out a single "thanks" while looking at the ground. She saw Yuki's step and tried to be in sync with her. Yuki looked down as well and stopped the bounce in her step for just long enough that they were in unison for a few feet before returning to normal.

Maria was so happy she spun quickly for a few steps.

She wasn't quite sure when the last time she grinned like this was, but it felt great.

"Ah, Maria, you're home," said her mother when she got back. Maria smiled at her, something that took her mother by surprise. Maria spun again and her mother's eyes were filled with warmth. "It's so nice seeing you happy like this."

And Maria couldn't help but smile wider at that.

Chapter Text

Yuki and Inomata had decided to visit the daycare room to give out cookies when it started raining. Still, the kids wanted to go on a walk, and that meant that they all got their raincoats and umbrellas. And Yuki and Inomata also had their umbrellas.

Kirin wanted to walk with Yuki this time, much to Inomata's disappointment, and Taka wanted to walk with Ryuu and the twins were hanging onto Hayato's legs with their small fists. That left Inomata with Kotarou.

She gave the toddler a quizzical look as he hugged his very much closed umbrella and turned to Ryuuichi to ask if she should open it when he shook his head.

"He doesn't like getting his umbrella wet," Ryuuichi explained with a grimace. Taka was trying to drag him, impatient to walk, and Ryuuichi shrugged at Inomata apologetically before following after Taka. Inomata looked at Kotarou.

"Um," she began, and Kotarou stopped hugging his umbrella tightly to look at Inomata. "If we dry your umbrella when we get back to the daycare, would you be okay to open your umbrella?" Kotarou gave her a hurt look.

"Panda-san cold if wet. No get wet." Inomata and Kotarou walked slowly as Inomata thought about what to do. The situation was almost nostalgic as it reminded her of when she also treated her umbrella like a living being when she was small. What did her grandmother do to help get use her umbrella?

Cold. Little Maria defensively hugged her umbrella. Her grandmother held a towel and a blanket.

"Maria, we should dry your umbrella and put it under this blanket so it can rest." Maria's grip on her umbrella loosened slightly.

"Cold. Fever," she said with a small frown.

"After it's in a blanket I'll check it for a fever. Okay?" Maria looked her umbrella before nodding quietly and handing it to her grandmother, who smiled. "Thank you."

"What if we take care of your Panda umbrella? It'll feel better after a nap, yes?" Kotarou looked at his umbrella thoughtfully.

"Panda-san no cold?" He looked up at her hopefully. Inomata nodded seriously.

"I will not let it catch a cold. I promise." Kotarou blinked slowly before handing his umbrella to Inomata.

"Ung." Inomata opened the umbrella and handed it back to him. Kotarou looked up cautiously at his umbrella, distressed by the sound of the rain hitting his poor panda. Still, he walked carefully and held Inomata's hand. Once the two caught up with the rest of the group, Ryuuichi looked at his little brother in amazement, then at Inomata with pure admiration.

"How did you get him to do that?" Inomata looked down at Kotarou who was receiving compliments from his friends for his cool umbrella.

"I made a promise," she answered simply.

The group finally got back to the daycare just as the rain got harder. Inomata put her umbrella way and grabbed a towel. Kotarou stood next to her and tightened his grip on her blazer as she dried Panda-san. She closed it and wrapped the umbrella in a blanket and placed it on the floor. Kotarou stared intently as Inomata placed her palm on the umbrella as if to check for a fever.

"No fever," she said. Kotarou's eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Panda-san okay?"

"Yes, Panda-san is fine. It just needs sleep while you play with your friends."

"Ung!" Kotarou ran off to tell his friends in his few words how Ino-cha helped Panda-san not get a cold.

Ryuuichi sat down next to her and smiled gratefully.

"Think I could get a few pointers from you, Inomata-san? I want Kotarou to use his umbrella more often."

Inomata nodded contently and patted the umbrella.

It was nice being able to help with the kids.