Baby Lessons

[hanub]

BABY LESSONS Author: Hanub Word count: 2846 Rating: R Universe: M11U Pairing: Britt/Kato Genre: Hurt/Comfort Warnings: Male/Male relationship Summary: A baby comes to change Kato view of life, Britt watches the changes. Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and no money is being make out of this, it's just entertainment. AN: I really don’t know where this came from, it was supposed to be a “little” snapshot from the universe of IF IT COMES TO THAT, but ended being… well it can be read as a part of that story or independent. I hope you’ll like it. -What is that? -A baby… how do you now so much about chemistry and physics, but can’t recognize a baby? Kato makes a face, staring in slight horror to the small bundle lying at the doorstep of the mansion. -I know what it is, I mean, what is that? Britt places his hands on his lover’s shoulders, gently pushing him out of the way, and picking up the small child with tenderness, taking a closer look at the infant, probably not much older than three months. Britt sighs, thinking what could ever possibly drive a mother to abandon her baby just like that. -The mother probably left him here thinking that whoever lived here would take care of him.- he says to his lover. Kato looks wary of the child. -For God’s sake K! It’s just a baby, not a bomb- He says while walking into the house, with Kato right on his tracks. -It could be- The Chinese man murmurs, falling silent at Britt’s astonished look.- What? Britt shakes his head and walks into the living room, calling for the housekeeper, when she doesn’t respond right away, he turns to Kato, handing him the baby. -What?- Repeats the Chinese man. At Britt’s exasperated look, Kato waves his hands, shaking his head- I don’t know what to do with it, I’ve never… But Britt shoves the infant in his lover arms gently, leaving to look for his housekeeper. Kato looks at the baby for a little while, trying to understand the mechanism of the little thing, but when the baby raises his arms to him, he decides its better to place it in the couch. So he does that. And puts two cushions next to it, keeping it far from the edge, the little bundle seems to be moving a lot, and it may fall. Kato isn’t sure how good its abilities can be at that… age. He tilts his head to one side, still looking at it, trying to understand how something that keeps drooling, and seems only capable of doing incomprehensible sounds, can awake such tenderness in Britt. He wants to learn and understand. Yet, after a few minutes of watching it doing the same thing, he grows tired and impatient. There’s nothing interesting in it. Britt is always amazed by the simplest things, he concludes. And then it starts crying. Kato looks frenetic to all sides, trying to find the source that might’ve scared it, but at finding none he settles for seeing it cry, painfully, until the voice of the housekeeper brings him out of his misery. -You’ll have to hold him. Kato turns to look at the middle age woman, with gentle features (always directed at everyone but him), that has been here since he first arrived, back in the days of Britt’s father, behind her, his lover is watching him with a little smirk on his face, hands cross over his chest, waiting expectantly. He looks so sure of himself, that Kato finds himself admiring once again, what in first place brought his attention to his partner, in other ways beyond professional. The woman clears her throat at seeing “her” Britt’s employee distraction. Britt’s smirk widens into a full smile, when by “holding” Kato places a hand next to the bundle, looking expectantly at the woman. -I mean lift him up- She says, glancing at Britt- I don’t know why you haven’t afford him a decent English curse. Kato frowns, but does as he’s told, and awkwardly lifts the baby in his arms. And the cries cease immediately. Something inside Britt shakes at the picture of his lover holding the baby. Something inside him that he doesn’t place, and doesn’t know if he wants to, but after last night is clearly there. -Are you sure this isn’t something related to your many affairs?- The housekeeper asks Britt with a raised eyebrow. Kato turns his attention from the baby at the question that hasn’t cross his mind, but is anxious to know the answer to. -No, no, no, no- Britt says lifting his hands in defence, more aware of Kato’s eyes on him, he turns to lock eyes with his lover -Really, there’s no way… besides, there was no note. He concludes kind of relieved at seeing the Chinese man turning his attention back to his charge with the same tranquil expression, he always wears when uninterested. -Well, then you’ll have to notify this to the police and let them handle it- Says the housekeeper.- I’ll go and buy the things the baby may need, but I won’t take care of him. You’ll have to ask someone else. She turns and walks away, after kissing Britt’s cheek softly and not once, glancing in Kato’s direction. The Chinese man sighs. He’s already used to this kind of treatment from the woman that became a second mother to his lover. Britt walks behind him, holding him by the waist, and the question hits Kato’s mind loud and clear, even if Britt hasn’t said anything yet. -No, I’m way behind in the new armour of the black beauty… -It’s a prototype- Britt cuts him off, and starts kissing his neck, frowning when Kato pulls away from the embrace.- What? -What if it sees us? What if it can remember and grows some kind of trauma later? It’s Britt turn to sigh, and hide a laugh. He didn’t know Kato could be bad at something, but maybe he’s still learning things from his partner. His honey pot was clearly not a children’s man. -”He” won’t remember anything, he’s to small to even form memories- Britt says grabbing his coat from the chair, where he drop it in the night, before leaving to deal with the drug dealers. Is for the best. Kato needs rest, and working on the black beauty could reopen his wound (as small as it is), and is too hard headed to accept the suggestion. It’s a low blow, specially realizing how awkward Kato can be with kids, but Britt is ready to afford the bickering later, for Kato’s health. -I need to go to the sentinel, after stopping at the police station, and you know neither place is appropriate for a baby.- He says walking to his lover and kissing him deeply on his lips- And you heard Sadie, she won’t take care of the baby, so that leaves only you, my love. The black beauty can wait, she won’t be going anywhere until we fix this. Kato is looking at him with wide eyes, an expression of complete horror on his face, something that Britt doesn’t get to see too often… if ever. It’s hilarious. -I cannot take care of it, Britt! I don’t know what to do or how to give it maintenance!- He exclaims desperate, his accent growing thicker by the minute. Britt laughs this time, which earns him a scowl from his lover. He kisses his forehead, just because he feels to. Seeing Kato so lost, and for once, not in control of the situation, makes the inner Britt jump around in his mind. He’s a cruel bastard. -Sadie will help you with the details of “his” proper care. And you’ll have to stop referring to him as “it”. Is a baby, K, not a car. Britt walks away, hearing Kato mutter something in Chinese. -How do you know it’s a him?!-Is the last he can hear from his lover. -The blanket is blue! Kato turns to look at the baby in his arms, and looks around just to be safe. -I think you’re stuck with me- He says to the small mass in his arms. And the child smiles to him. Kato is hit by a wave of memories, painful and happy, of defenceless and hard times. He’s not looking at the baby in the same way now. *************************************************************************************** Really, it wasn’t as easy as Britt had imagined at the beginning, there where too many forms to fill, too many cops to interview with, at the sentinel it had been Lenore’s scolding, and completely mistrust in him, and something that seemed remotely like a painful threat if he had in fact cheated on Kato. Britt was suspecting that the woman had already lost all respect for him. Then, like two days after the arrival of the baby, came the painful DNA tests, “just to be sure you’re not the father Mr. Reid”. Stupid social workers. Stupid reputation of his… He had been so nervous, afraid Kato might misunderstand and really believe he could be the father, and since the baby was three months old (according to the doctors) and his relationship with Kato had a year and a half... Britt was afraid. He had changed, Kato had changed him (as corny as it sounded) and he was a different man in all aspects, since the beginning of his relationship with Kato, Britt hadn’t wanted anyone else. It turned out it hadn’t been necessary, as it seemed Kato was more worried for the tests about to be practised on the baby, than the fact that Britt might’ve cheated on him, or that his lover was about to be hurt as well (he was going to get the damn tests too!). Kato hadn’t even let the baby been taken until he could be placed with a family, he had refused to let the baby in an orphanage. Britt hadn’t asked why, and gave his word (and a lot of signatures) to the social workers, compromising himself to deliver the baby once a family had been found. He knew Kato felt vulnerable about the orphanage thing, so Britt didn’t question or push him. It was amazing how Kato behaviour had changed in a few days, the first night Britt had arrived to a mess of diapers, milk bottles, baby clothes, and one or two books about “raising a healthy child”. But it seemed it wasn’t anything Kato couldn’t do, and by the third day, he had everything under control, and the little one seemed to have all the attention from his lover, which to be honest, didn’t bode well with Britt. Even the sex was gone. When they had been really “active”, sexually speaking, now everything seemed to have stopped. Kato didn’t reject him or his touches, but when things where escalating to something more satisfying, the baby would start crying, and Kato would push him off of him and run at the brat’s side. Funny how it had been Kato who hadn’t wanted the baby in the beginning; but now it seems some kind of switch turned “ON” inside his lover’s head. And Britt is starting to think that a family for the baby will never appear and that they will end up raising this child. He isn’t Bruce Wayne, for fuck’s sake. And seeing Kato talking to the baby about his new project on the Black Beauty and the different ways to mix chemicals in order to obtain different types of dangerous gases as he feeds him, Britt is afraid, Kato might ask him just that. *************************************************************************************** Britt returns just at nightfall, feeling already awful at having left his lover alone with Sadie, Britt knows they both don’t like each other. He walks slowly, trying to prolong as much as possible his way to the pool house. He’s the bearer of sad news, and he doesn’t know how Kato will react to this. It’s been three weeks already, and little Li (because Kato insisted on giving him a name, and of course it had to be a Chinese name, even when the kid it’s about 80% western) has settled completely in Kato’s life, and a little bit in his own as well, but his time to go has come. Earlier that day Britt received a phone call from the social worker, telling him that a couple had been found and that they would received the baby immediately. It turned out they were a couple in their late thirties who had been trying to have kids for five years now, and actually got pregnant, but at the birth the baby had born dead, now she was in an age too dangerous to procreate, if she could. They were happy to receive Li. The pool house is quiet, and Britt wonders if Kato is there with the baby, or has gone out in one of their daily walks, the baby required Kato to adjust, but Britt can tell is of the good kind, and that his lover needed this. He sees light and comes in. Kato is sleeping on the bed, slightly curl up against the baby who‘s also asleep, and arm placed around the small form, surely to prevent him from falling, and yet, besides the bed, on the floor, are what seems to be, all the pillows from the house. Britt leans against the doorframe watching his lover sleep, and wonders what Kato will say once he finds out what’s going to happen to the child, the bond is there, and for three weeks, this baby has become a motive for Kato‘s life, he knows his lover has no family, and not much friends, at least not many that Britt knows of, so the baby has become a focus, and his loss is going to bring sadness in his lover’s heart. But he can’t bring himself to feel bad about it, he’s definitely not ready to take that kind of responsibility in his life, no matter what Lenore or Mike say about him growing up, and he knows he isn’t ready to share Kato’s attention… or if he ever would be. Now he recognises that what he felt that morning when the baby came, the stirring of emotions in the pit of his stomach was jealousy, and he kind of feels bad about it. -You’re thinking too loud- Comes the soft, sleepy whisper from the bed. Britt grins and leans down to place a kiss on his lovers lips, who has barely open his eyes. -I’m sorry I was gone all day.- He murmurs, carefully lying down and spooning Kato from behind. -S’okay- Kato whispers back, barely moving to accommodate Britt- Li is already turning around by himself. Britt smiles against Kato’s nape, regarding him with another kiss. -I don’t doubt it, you’re an excellent teacher. Kato nods his head, but remains silent for awhile. Britt inhales the musky scent of his lover, and wonders if Kato can feel his apprehension. -A family has been found..?- It’s not a question, but it’s been said so softly, more than before, almost as if he were afraid that the baby could understand them. -Yes- Is Britt’s answer, which is met by silence, and for a moment the green hornet is afraid Kato will ask him to keep the baby. -It’s for the best- Says Kato at last.- You’re too baboony to take care of him, and I definitely don’t like babies. Britt sighs, trying not to think about Kato’s feelings or his own for that matter, The decision has been made, and there’s nothing he can do about it, as much as he wishes to make Kato's every single wish to come true. -I’m taking him there tomorrow. Kato nods again, oddly silent. Britt places his arm around his waist, drawing small circles on his belly, trying to reassure him, even if Kato isn’t showing weakness. -And “baboony” it’s not even a word, maybe I should listen to Sadie’s advice and pay you proper English lessons. The elbow connecting to his ribs and barely disturbing the child’s sleep, silences him effectively. So in the morning of the next day, he takes the baby away, and he pretends not to notice Kato’s slightly worried expression, or the way he clings to the small form, almost imperceptible, but he knows that Kato worries about the baby’s future in a foster home, because he has lived through that, and because at some point, Kato adopted the baby as “his” family. And, Britt pretends not to notice when Kato wakes up with a start in the middle of the night, probably trying to locate a cry that isn’t there. He embraces him, and brings his lover’s head to rest against his shoulder, and when Kato places an arm around his neck in silent search for comfort, Britt doesn’t whisper but tights his hold with his other arm in his lover waist. Sometimes words aren’t needed because actions say more. ~You have a family here with me. I am your family ~