kittens
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: none
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Genre: Slice of life
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from J&A.
Summary: Kenichi is worried about his son, and he stumbles across something that gives him hope.
A/N: Sorry I missed last week! I had family visiting from out of state and there simply wasn't time to sit down at my computer at all. Also, for those of you following my sister on twitter, I actually wrote this before she brought home a kitten of her own, although it has turned out to be a rather amusing coincidence. This little drabble was inspired by the Itadaki High Jump episode (on 2017.1.11) in which Keito revealed that he'd raised five cats around the time of JUMP's debut!
Kenichi sighed, running a hand through his long hair before thanking the cashier and grabbing his shopping bags. Frozen meals weren’t exactly the healthiest option, but with the divorce finally being properly set in motion, and Keito back at home with him permanently, they were becoming more and more common. He glanced down at his bags as he started making his way home. He got the beef ones, Keito liked those. Maybe it would put a smile on his kid’s face. He sighed again, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. Keito would have probably prefered it if he’d cooked, but it was already late, the moon rising in a corner of the sky as streetlights flickered to life. And with the rehearsals for his latest play, as well as meetings with the divorce lawyers, Kenichi simply didn’t have time.
Things had been really hard over the past few months. Kenichi was overjoyed to have Keito back home, living with him instead of halfway around the world, but almost immediately after it was decided that Keito would be returning to Japan, Kenichi got the phone call from Natsue requesting that they actually finalize the divorce that had been looming over them ever since she’d moved out two years prior. It had been immensely hard to break the news to Keito, especially after having not seen his son in months. He felt physically ill whenever he thought about the look on Keito’s face when he’d finally brought it up with his son, and he knew that Keito was struggling.
Being back in Japan was always going to be a challenge for his son, and Kenichi had expected the transition to be a little tough, what with Keito having gone to school in England for so many years. And it was, it was bizarre to not have his own son understand him sometimes when he talked, to have to explain things in simple words and hear the boy he’d--mostly--raised talking to himself in a language that Kenichi didn’t understand. Kenichi had known it would be hard, what with Keito starting at a new school, losing his mother, and gaining a new career all in one fell swoop. He’d known that Keito was going to have to work hard to catch up to the other kids his age, both at work and at school, but Keito had always had to work hard to fit in, and yes, Kenichi had known all of that, but he’d thought they could pull through.
Now however, he wasn’t so sure. Keito was working hard, staying up late and waking up early, always studying, always practicing his dance moves or song lyrics or trying to learn kanji. He was quiet, focused, and while they did spend time together, Keito always seemed a little distant. Kenichi had expected Keito to be mad or upset when he’d told his son about the divorce. What he hadn’t expected, was the complete retreat back inside of himself that Keito had displayed. He was closed off, and not just from Kenichi. Keito wasn’t making any friends, wasn’t going out with boys from school or work, wasn’t even spending much time with Pablo, their elderly poodle. He was just withdrawing from the world, isolating himself from any and every emotional connection, and that was the most troubling thing.
Keito needed an emotional connection. He needed to feel loved, supported, and like he was not only not a burden, but needed. Kenichi was trying, telling Keito how happy he was that Keito was home, that Keito was living with him. He was trying to be a good dad, to understand, to make Keito laugh and feel loved, and sometimes he felt like he was succeeding. But mostly he just felt terrified that he was failing. That all of this was too much, a terrible mistake, and that dread and guilt would churn inside of him, nauseating. He stayed up late some nights, unable to sleep, just listening for sounds from Keito’s bedroom as he worried over the mess that was his life--their lives--never able to find any magic solutions to make things better. It was stupid to hope for one really, and he knew that, but it didn’t keep him from searching.
Kenichi tripped, boot hitting a particularly disjointed edge in the sidewalk, and he threw his hands out to catch himself, body hitting against the exterior wall of the closest building. He cursed, brought back to his surroundings with a snap, and he checked over the frozen meals, hoping they hadn’t gotten all mixed up in the stumble. They seemed fine, much to his relief. He leaned against the building, considering smoking a cigarette or two before he went back inside. He was almost home, and Keito was under the impression that he’d quit. He was trying to, really. Maybe after the divorce was done.
He was digging around in his pocket for a lighter when he heard a small noise. He glanced around, the noise happening again, this time more clearly. It was a small cry, a pathetic little sound, and he frowned, searching for the source, instinctual concern flaring up in his chest. The cries continued, and it took him a few minutes to figure out where they were coming from, turning down the back alley closest to where he’d tripped to find a cardboard box tucked away in a corner with five little kittens inside, mewling as loud as their little bodies would allow them to. Kenichi stared down at them for a moment, illuminated in the light of his cell phone screen in the darkness, mind working on overdrive, before he leaned down, scooping up the cardboard box and holding it to his chest, the kittens still crying, a few of them scrambling at the edge of the box to try and get close to him.
He didn’t even know if Keito really liked cats. They’d never had a cat before, but something in his gut just felt like this would be good for them. These little kittens could be a good project for Keito. Baby animals always had a way of making the people that care for them feel loved, didn’t they? Keito would have someone that was depending on him to care for them, and love them, and while Kenichi would definitely prefer if his kid had some human friends, cat friends were definitely better than nothing at all. It would be a good distraction from the shit storm that was his life right now, and maybe they could make Keito happy. And really, he thought, as he pushed through the door of their apartment, and his son’s usually rather empty eyes sparked with curiosity at the sight of the box, that was all that mattered.