Nagase's family stories (Part 26)
Nagase sat down beside Kazu on the sofa and hugged the small body tightly into his arms. He swayed him from one side to the other. Kazu sniffled softly, hiding his face at his shoulders.
“My poor little one,” he whispered into his ear and held him tightly as Kazu’s arms closed around his neck. Their neighbour Mrs Schmidt had come to him just earlier this day to tell him the sad news that Lulu her dog had died. Nagase had been glad that neither Kazu nor Satoshi had been home so that he had enough time to think of a way to tell his little son the news.
Kazu had fallen for the dog and Nagase had feared this day for months now. Lulu had gotten ill, and as it was already old, it had only been a question of how long it would take. Kazu had known of the illness and what it could mean. Still, it had hurt the small boy immensely.
Nagase played with Kazu’s hair to calm him down and hummed as he put his head on top of Kazu. The full out crying had calmed down, but he still could feel the sadness seep out of the small boy.
He wished that he could take all the pain away, but this was life, and it was hard to do so. He kissed his forehead as he rubbed his cheeks to dry them and smile at the small boy.
“I will miss Lulu I liked playing with it,” Kazu said sadly.
“And it will miss you,” Nagase said softly and kissed his forehead. “But it was ill and old.”
Kazu rubbed his nose but nodded after a while. “Still, I’m sad,” he said with a small voice.
“I know, and you’re allowed to be,” Nagase said and hugged him close. “But I’m here if you want to talk or if you need anything else.”
“I need a warm hug,” Kazu decided after a while. Nagase chuckled softly but tightened his arms around the small boy again that he could give him.
“And what food would help you?” he asked. Kazu hummed a little bit in thought as he snuggled close to him. He bit on his thumb which Nagase stopped as he took his hands in one of his own to make sure that he didn’t hurt himself.
“I want hamburger steak in teriyaki sauce with broccoli and rice,” he asked after a few minutes of thought.
“That sounds like a good idea,” Nagase said with a small laugh. It was funny how much the food in his fridge changed. He almost always had minced meat in there because both boys loved all kinds of dishes with it, especially Kazu.
Kazu hid a happy smile at Nagase’s shoulder and closed his arms as he felt his body growing warm in the embrace of his adoptive father. He didn’t want to let go yet.
“So my little leech how about we go to the kitchen?” Nagase said in a teasing voice.
“Okay,” Kazu mumbled and hugged him again around his neck so that Nagase was forced to lift him and carry him to the kitchen. Nagase did with a small eye roll. He put him down on the kitchen table where Kazu whined because he didn’t want to let him go.
“Kazu I can’t cook if I carry you around,” he explained with a small sigh. He frowned at the boy who was still clinging to him. He sighed as he caressed his hair.
“Okay, let’s try this: You can climb on my shoulders and then hold on tightly while I prepare the meat,” Nagase sighed as he turned around.
Kazu’s eyes lightened up at that promise, and he climbed on his shoulders. Nagase made sure that the boy was safely on top of him as he stood and prepared the meat patties to put them in the fridge to rest and then start on the rice. Afterwards, he pulled Kazu around so that he was back into his arms.
“We can cuddle for another half an hour. Then I have to cook, or Satoshi will be hungry. Okay?”
“Uhn,” Kazu nodded and hugged him around the neck once again when they went back to the sofa. He wasn’t happy when Nagase finally left him with a blanket to keep warm, but it just wasn’t the same.
-
Kazu had calmed down during dinner and was now lying in bed, cuddling his toy dog and sleeping peacefully. Nagase sat in the living room with Satoshi by his side who was sketching on his notepad. Nagase smiled a bit as he rubbed the base of Satoshi’s neck who looked up with a fake pout.
“I’m concentrating,” Satoshi said to which Nagase chuckled softly.
“I’m wondering if you will ever get bored of painting pictures,” he teased the boy. Satoshi had always been calm. He liked going to his dance training twice a week and play with his friends, but at home, he was mostly submerged in drawing or doing other kinds of crafts.
“Nope. I like it, dad,” Satoshi said with a shrug. He always liked just drawing whatever was in his mind. Shortly after he had restarted drawing, he had been almost maniac because he had stopped for so long, but now it was a pleasant pastime for him.
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“What was wrong with Kazu today?”
“Lulu died,” Nagase explained with a sigh. “Kazu was upset when I told him.”
“He loves dogs,” Satoshi said with a hum.
“He does,” Nagase said with a smile.
“Can’t he get one?”
Nagase sighed as he leant back onto the sofa. Satoshi had stopped drawing and was looking at him with hopeful eyes.
“Kazu is still too little and unstable to take responsibility of a dog,” Nagase explained with a sad sigh. “And you don’t like dogs that much.”
Satoshi shrugged as he thought it over. “I don’t mind dogs. I don’t care about them as much as Kazu, but if it’s cute I’ll like it,” he grinned.
Nagase laughed softly and looked at the ceiling. It was true he had thought of getting Kazu a dog. But only when the boy was older and would be able to understand how to care for a dog and that a dog was no toy.
“If, and this is a very big if, we get a dog, would you be able to help with taking care of it?” he asked Satoshi.
The boy nodded slowly as he licked his lips. It was a big responsibility, but if it helped? “Yes, taking it for walks, right?”
Nagase nodded at that question. He would have to talk to Samantha as well about it. They thought about moving in together. And if they did that she had to be okay with a dog as well.
“I’ll think about it, but it’s getting late, and you probably should go to bed. There is school tomorrow,” Nagase reminded Satoshi who frowned but nodded. He got up and kissed Nagase’s cheek before leaving him alone, skipping off. The thought of a dog somehow really excited him.
“My poor little one,” he whispered into his ear and held him tightly as Kazu’s arms closed around his neck. Their neighbour Mrs Schmidt had come to him just earlier this day to tell him the sad news that Lulu her dog had died. Nagase had been glad that neither Kazu nor Satoshi had been home so that he had enough time to think of a way to tell his little son the news.
Kazu had fallen for the dog and Nagase had feared this day for months now. Lulu had gotten ill, and as it was already old, it had only been a question of how long it would take. Kazu had known of the illness and what it could mean. Still, it had hurt the small boy immensely.
Nagase played with Kazu’s hair to calm him down and hummed as he put his head on top of Kazu. The full out crying had calmed down, but he still could feel the sadness seep out of the small boy.
He wished that he could take all the pain away, but this was life, and it was hard to do so. He kissed his forehead as he rubbed his cheeks to dry them and smile at the small boy.
“I will miss Lulu I liked playing with it,” Kazu said sadly.
“And it will miss you,” Nagase said softly and kissed his forehead. “But it was ill and old.”
Kazu rubbed his nose but nodded after a while. “Still, I’m sad,” he said with a small voice.
“I know, and you’re allowed to be,” Nagase said and hugged him close. “But I’m here if you want to talk or if you need anything else.”
“I need a warm hug,” Kazu decided after a while. Nagase chuckled softly but tightened his arms around the small boy again that he could give him.
“And what food would help you?” he asked. Kazu hummed a little bit in thought as he snuggled close to him. He bit on his thumb which Nagase stopped as he took his hands in one of his own to make sure that he didn’t hurt himself.
“I want hamburger steak in teriyaki sauce with broccoli and rice,” he asked after a few minutes of thought.
“That sounds like a good idea,” Nagase said with a small laugh. It was funny how much the food in his fridge changed. He almost always had minced meat in there because both boys loved all kinds of dishes with it, especially Kazu.
Kazu hid a happy smile at Nagase’s shoulder and closed his arms as he felt his body growing warm in the embrace of his adoptive father. He didn’t want to let go yet.
“So my little leech how about we go to the kitchen?” Nagase said in a teasing voice.
“Okay,” Kazu mumbled and hugged him again around his neck so that Nagase was forced to lift him and carry him to the kitchen. Nagase did with a small eye roll. He put him down on the kitchen table where Kazu whined because he didn’t want to let him go.
“Kazu I can’t cook if I carry you around,” he explained with a small sigh. He frowned at the boy who was still clinging to him. He sighed as he caressed his hair.
“Okay, let’s try this: You can climb on my shoulders and then hold on tightly while I prepare the meat,” Nagase sighed as he turned around.
Kazu’s eyes lightened up at that promise, and he climbed on his shoulders. Nagase made sure that the boy was safely on top of him as he stood and prepared the meat patties to put them in the fridge to rest and then start on the rice. Afterwards, he pulled Kazu around so that he was back into his arms.
“We can cuddle for another half an hour. Then I have to cook, or Satoshi will be hungry. Okay?”
“Uhn,” Kazu nodded and hugged him around the neck once again when they went back to the sofa. He wasn’t happy when Nagase finally left him with a blanket to keep warm, but it just wasn’t the same.
-
Kazu had calmed down during dinner and was now lying in bed, cuddling his toy dog and sleeping peacefully. Nagase sat in the living room with Satoshi by his side who was sketching on his notepad. Nagase smiled a bit as he rubbed the base of Satoshi’s neck who looked up with a fake pout.
“I’m concentrating,” Satoshi said to which Nagase chuckled softly.
“I’m wondering if you will ever get bored of painting pictures,” he teased the boy. Satoshi had always been calm. He liked going to his dance training twice a week and play with his friends, but at home, he was mostly submerged in drawing or doing other kinds of crafts.
“Nope. I like it, dad,” Satoshi said with a shrug. He always liked just drawing whatever was in his mind. Shortly after he had restarted drawing, he had been almost maniac because he had stopped for so long, but now it was a pleasant pastime for him.
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“What was wrong with Kazu today?”
“Lulu died,” Nagase explained with a sigh. “Kazu was upset when I told him.”
“He loves dogs,” Satoshi said with a hum.
“He does,” Nagase said with a smile.
“Can’t he get one?”
Nagase sighed as he leant back onto the sofa. Satoshi had stopped drawing and was looking at him with hopeful eyes.
“Kazu is still too little and unstable to take responsibility of a dog,” Nagase explained with a sad sigh. “And you don’t like dogs that much.”
Satoshi shrugged as he thought it over. “I don’t mind dogs. I don’t care about them as much as Kazu, but if it’s cute I’ll like it,” he grinned.
Nagase laughed softly and looked at the ceiling. It was true he had thought of getting Kazu a dog. But only when the boy was older and would be able to understand how to care for a dog and that a dog was no toy.
“If, and this is a very big if, we get a dog, would you be able to help with taking care of it?” he asked Satoshi.
The boy nodded slowly as he licked his lips. It was a big responsibility, but if it helped? “Yes, taking it for walks, right?”
Nagase nodded at that question. He would have to talk to Samantha as well about it. They thought about moving in together. And if they did that she had to be okay with a dog as well.
“I’ll think about it, but it’s getting late, and you probably should go to bed. There is school tomorrow,” Nagase reminded Satoshi who frowned but nodded. He got up and kissed Nagase’s cheek before leaving him alone, skipping off. The thought of a dog somehow really excited him.