My first Yotsuba story! Yay! Of course Yotsuba's not mine…so sad… And yes, this is Jumbo x Koiwai. If you don't like it, please don't read it! XD

Good Nights

"Jumbo's coming, Jumbo's coming, Jumbo's coming!" Yotsuba shouted, running around the living room, waving her arms excitedly. Koiwai was sitting at the table in the middle of the room, trying to read a magazine comparing different models of cars. Unable to concentrate with his adoptive daughter shouting like she was, he gave up.

He fell backwards onto the floor, right into Yotsuba's path. She nearly tripped over him, but, wheeling her arms, she stopped just in time. They stared at each other for a few seconds with wide eyes before Koiwai asked loudly, "Is it good that Jumbo's coming!?"

"Yes!" she answered, her face set in its most serious expression.

"And why is that?"

"Because Daddy and Jumbo will play with me! We'll play a new game!"

"What's the new game?"

Yotsuba's mouth opened for a few seconds while she considered her answer before she ran out of the room, shouting, "It's a surprise! You'll find out later!"

She doesn't even know what it is yet, he thought, smiling to himself. After a moment he forced himself to sit up. Jumbo would be here soon. Maybe…maybe he'd better put on some pants.

…

"Thanks for playing with her for so long," Koiwai whispered.

"Not at all. It was fun," Jumbo responded, his voice hushed as well.

Yotsuba had fallen asleep on Jumbo's lap, exhausted from hours of playing her new game (involving a child-sized knight, her noble steed, and an evil giant/witch/dragon) with the two men. Jumbo had insisted on putting her to bed, so Koiwai had contented himself with just watching as his best friend tucked his daughter in and kissed her on the forehead. She shifted in her sleep as his beard scratched against her soft skin, but her eyes didn't even open as she settled down in her futon.

Jumbo followed Koiwai as he silently exited the room and went into the kitchen to get a drink.

"Watching you tuck her in reminds me of when I first found Yotsuba. Even with my mother there, I think I would've died if you hadn't come by for support those first couple weeks," Koiwai said. He popped the top of a cold beer and drank half of it in a single gulp. He didn't drink often; in fact, he never bought alcohol to keep around the house. But occasionally Jumbo would bring something over and they'd share a few after Yotsuba went to bed.

"Yeah. I kinda miss those days, when you panicked about every little thing. It's no fun anymore now that you're so sure of yourself."

"That's an exaggeration," Koiwai said, feeling his face turn slightly red, embarrassed. He drained his can of beer and grabbed another before heading for the living room, sitting down at the low table. Only after he was settled did he realize he'd neglected to turn on the light. But the room was illuminated enough from the glow pouring in from the kitchen, so he didn't bother getting up. He rested his head on the surface of the table and said, as Jumbo took a seat next to him, "You know, I try my best to be a good father, but…"

"But?"

"How can I be sure I'm doing it right? I don't have any experience at raising children, and no one else is here to help me." He took a long drink from his beer and sighed, putting his head back down afterwards.

"Hey!" Jumbo said in a strangely fierce voice. "Don't count me out so easily!"

Koiwai looked at him, a little confused. "Hm? What do you mean?"

Jumbo pointed at himself. "I'm here to help you! I love Yotsuba, and I'd do anything for you two. I thought you knew that."

Koiwai lifted his head off the table slowly. "Of course I know that! I-I didn't mean it that way…without you, I wouldn't have made it this far. I just meant-"

"No, no, I get it. You meant without a mother."

"I…" Koiwai didn't know exactly how to respond. It was true, that's what he'd been thinking when that comment had tumbled out of his mouth, but he hadn't meant anything serious by it. Apparently Jumbo had seen it differently, though. He was smiling but he was avoiding Koiwai's gaze, and it was obvious that he wasn't happy about what had just been said between them.

Somehow, Koiwai wanted to prove to Jumbo that what he was thinking was wrong. He hadn't been trying to imply that he needed a girlfriend or a wife, or that he even wanted one. Or that he was ungrateful for everything Jumbo did for them. It had just been a thoughtless comment, that was all.

He touched Jumbo's arm and said quietly, "Takashi…" He wanted to reinforce the sincerity of his regret at having upset his best friend.

Jumbo looked up, perhaps slightly confused at hearing his first name. And as he did so, his face came within inches of Koiwai's. His heart skipped a beat and then began pounding erratically as something inside him shifted. He'd never felt this way before, but suddenly he wanted to do more than just give an explanation or an apology.

Koiwai slowly leaned forward, closing the small gap between them with a kiss. It was hardly romantic or passionate; it was more like he was just resting his lips against Jumbo's, feeling them, firm, against his own, feeling that bearded chin touch his. But it was an exhilarating experiment, to see how it felt, to see what would happen, and not having any idea of what the results would be.

After a couple of seconds he pulled back, finding Jumbo's eyes to see his reaction. They stared at each other for the longest moment without a word. Then they both moved at the same time, bringing their lips together again. This time their mouths moved with each other, their hands reached out to grasp hair, neck, shoulders, whatever they could manage to get a hold of. Jumbo's glasses fell to the floor as the kiss continued, growing in intensity and desperation. Koiwai felt himself being lowered to the floor, Jumbo bearing down on him with his superior weight and stature.

Eventually their initial passion ebbed and Jumbo paused to let the both of them breathe. However, he didn't separate their bodies in any way; their foreheads were still touching, and occasionally Koiwai felt a scratchy kiss placed along the side of his face as he panted, catching his breath. His heart was racing out of control and his chest felt light and fluttery.

"My God, Jumbo," he breathed, trying to process what had just happened, but unable to. His grip on Jumbo's shirt tightened as he felt lips trailing along the tender skin of his neck.

"What happened to Takashi?" Jumbo murmured into his collarbone.

Koiwai rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up, Takashi," he whispered, tilting Jumbo's face back up to meet his.

After a few more minutes of soft kisses, and caresses, less frantic than they'd been before, Jumbo wrapped his arms around Koiwai, who settled his head against Jumbo's chest. Koiwai felt gentle fingers run through his hair as his mind began to drift, still wondering at this new development. He felt dizzy at how fast it had happened, and nervous when he thought of the future. Would it really be okay for him and Jumbo to have a relationship like this? It would probably cause him problems later on…but right now, he was happy. He closed his eyes and buried his face against Jumbo, breathing in his smell and taking in this moment of bliss. He could deal with Yotsuba's reaction another time.

"Daddy?" Or not.

He turned his head to see Yotsuba standing in the doorway, her eyes still half-closed and sleepy. Koiwai blushed, wondering how he could explain this situation to her, and trying to wriggle out of Jumbo's solid, unrelenting grip. But that proved unnecessary, as she didn't even ask about it. She simply crossed the room like a zombie, dragging her feet and yawning as she stood in front of them. "I woke up 'cause I kept hearing these really weird noises."

Koiwai's face grew even redder as he prayed that the source of those noises hadn't been him. Jumbo didn't seem to be fazed, though. He hadn't moved since Yotsuba had entered the room, but now he lifted the arm that had been lying across Koiwai's chest. "Come here, kiddo."

"Okay!" Yotsuba jumped onto her father's stomach, Koiwai suppressing a groan of pain. She crawled up his body until her head rested under Koiwai's chin and she immediately went back to sleep as Jumbo settled his arm back down, draped over the two of them.

"She didn't even notice anything," Koiwai said, amazed, a minute or so later.

Jumbo chuckled. "Why should she? We're already like a family."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

After a few peaceful, quiet minutes Koiwai sighed. "I wish I didn't have to wake her to put her back in bed, but I think it's impossible not to..."

"Just stay here. One night on the floor won't kill you."

"But-"

"I'll stay too."

He gave in, a reluctant smile coming to his face. "Okay, thanks. Good night."

"Good night," Jumbo said, pressing his lips to Koiwai's forehead.

Koiwai's eyes already felt heavy with sleep, so he let them close. He could hear Jumbo's steady heartbeat, feel both of his strong arms around him. And as his own chest rose and fell methodically, he could feel Yotsuba's weight, little as it was, pressing down on him. It was comforting. He really did feel happy at this moment, falling asleep with his two most precious people beside him. Maybe they could make this work.

What did you think? I dunno, I just wanted a cute, kinda fluffy Jumbo x Koiwai story. It's not even really my main ship from the series; I just think that it has the potential to be adorable! XD

Thanks for reading, everybody!