A/N:

A short story I wrote for the adorable Gravitation spinoff series, Shindou Family Circumstances. Some things may not make complete sense if you haven't read that series (which you totally should), so to put it into perspective (spoilers for Ex, and a bit for SFC):

Shuichi and Eiri have adopted Riku.

Riku is in high school at this point.

Riku still calls Shuichi 'Mom.'

Riku and Mike (K's son) are best friends.

Eiri frequently travels, and is often away from home.

Because of this, Riku is awkward around him and has a hard time communicating with him.

Riku stood uneasily in the kitchen entryway, ready to retreat back the way he came. He grappled with his nerves to finally find a smidgen of resolve. Only to have it immediately vanish, like a puff of smoke in the wind.

He couldn't do it!

Why was it so difficult to talk to that man?

He slunk away, and was betrayed by the creaking of the floorboards beneath him.

"Riku?" His dad turned to face him, his attention pulled from the meal he'd been preparing. "Finished up with your homework already?"

Riku studied his father for a moment. He was relieved his dad had finally shaved off that awful beard, but wondered if he still wouldn't be teased if his classmates saw the man now in all his glory: cute apron, thick glasses, and headband adorning him like a lopsided crown.

…Well, he was also brandishing a large knife, so maybe not.

"Uh, yeah…" Riku shrugged and ran his hand through his hair, resting it on the back of his neck, and pretended to be nonchalant before letting it drop back to his side and wishing there was an inconspicuous way to run back to his room and barricade the door.

"How about you wash up and help me then?" That Man asked, though to Riku it felt like a command. "It's just us tonight."

Dammit! Riku was trapped. He blamed his Japanese upbringing: he was too polite to decline.

"What about Mom?" Riku asked while scrubbing his hands in the sink.

"Ayaka's letting your Uncle Hiro out of the house for the first time in ages– I guess the twins are finally manageable– he and Shuichi are having a boy's night out."

"Oh."

It had been a long time since Mom had spent any time with his oldest friend, so Riku didn't want to resent him taking the opportunity, but it was going to be so awkward eating dinner alone with Dad!

"Where should I begin?" Riku asked, drying his hands on a kitchen towel.

"Get the rice started. By the time it's done, everything else should be ready to eat."

"Okay." It was a simple task that was quickly completed. "Now what?"

"Finish cutting up these vegetables, I'll start grilling the meat."

It was weirdly familiar, this scene.

…No, maybe not so weird. Riku could remember helping his dad in the kitchen when he was younger– before his dad had developed his wanderlust.

It was kind of fun then.

"Watch your fingers," his father warned.

"I know," Riku said as the sound of rhythmic chopping filled the room. "I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Sorry," his dad chuckled, "force of habit. Your mom's not exactly a child either, but I'm still constantly restocking the first aid kit."

Chop.

Sizzle.

Chop.

Awkward silence filled the room save for the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board and the meat frying in the pan.

"So… what are Mom and Uncle Hiro doing tonight?" Riku asked in vain attempt to shoo away the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Probably getting blitzed off cheap beer, and singing karaoke. Those done?"

Riku's father pointed to the veggies he'd been dicing.

"Uh, yeah," Riku replied.

"Go ahead and add them to the pan. Slowly."

Riku carefully pushed the fresh cut vegetables off the edge of the cutting board and into the skillet with his knife while his dad stirred them in with the meat and sauce.

As soon as Riku pulled the empty board out of the way, his father flicked the pan up, tossing its contents into the air and catching them with the flourish of a much practiced skill, coating everything evenly with seasoning. He then mixed everything together and and adjusted the cooktop's heat settings.

"Just a simple stir fry dish tonight. I didn't feel like making something fancy."

"T-that's okay," Riku said. It certainly smelled good! And Riku had never known his dad to cook anything that wasn't delicious. His dad could make any 'simple dish' amazing.

Riku watched his father, trying to work up the courage to ask him what he originally came into the kitchen for.

"Go set the table." Dad said suddenly and derailed Riku's train of thought. "I'm almost done here."

"Uh, sure."

In all honesty Riku was relieved to be given an opportunity to leave the room, even if the dining room was barely separate from the kitchen.

His dad hadn't been staying home that long, but Riku still habitually grabbed three place settings before reminding himself that Mom wasn't going to join them.

"Finished," Riku said, returning to the kitchen in time to catch the musical chime of the rice cooker.

"Perfect timing! Go put the rice out."

Riku scooped the rice out of the cooker and into a serving bowl and ran it out to the dining room table.

"Here," Riku's dad shoved a tasting spoon in front of Riku's face the moment he returned. "Try some."

"Mm! Good!" Riku said around a mouthful of food.

"Vegetables not too crunchy?"

"Nope, I like them better when they're a little crisp than when they're soggy."

His dad smiled– just a little bit– and nodded approvingly. Then, without dropping a single morsel, transferred the food from pan to serving dish and turned off the stove.

Whenever Riku or Mom (especially Mom) cooked the kitchen was always a mess afterwards! Dad left everything sparkling.

"Here, go put this out," Dad said. He handed Riku the food, then took off his apron and headband- tossing them onto the counter to be dealt with after eating. "I'll join you in a sec."

Riku took the food to the table, then served himself some. He wondered if it would be rude to start eating before his dad sat down.

Luckily he was saved from having to answer himself when his dad plopped himself down in the chair across from him, took a swig of beer from the bottle he'd grabbed from the fridge, and started shoveling food on to his own plate.

For someone who could cook such high-class looking cuisine, his at home table manners we're practically barbaric. Riku wondered if he acted like this when he traveled. Who would let him into their country?!

Uncomfortable quiet filled the room as they ate. In between bites Riku pushed food around his plate with his chopsticks, wondering how he could breach the silence.

"So…what is it?"

Riku jumped at the question.

"Huh!?"

His dad took another swig straight from the bottle, adjusted his glasses, and met Riku's gaze without wavering.

"When you came into the kitchen earlier, you kind of looked like you had something to say to me."

"I, um, yeah…" Shit! Now that his dad had brought it up, there was no way he could back down!

Riku squirmed and fidgeted and hoped his father wouldn't notice.

"It's, um, it's just that…"

Why was this so difficult!? It wasn't like he was making that big a request, was he?

"It'sjustthattommorowisMike'sbirthday!" Riku finally spat out in a single breath.

His dad blinked, trying to process Riku's flurry of words.

"Did… you… want to go get him a gift?" He asked, having finally sorted it out. "I can take you shopping if you'd like. Do you need money?"

"No," Riku answered as he stared down at his plate.

Surely initiating conversation was the worst part, right? It shouldn't be too hard to ask for the rest…

Riku forced himself to make eye contact.

"Mike wanted me to ask you if you'd make him a birthday cake."

"Hmm…" his dad thought for a moment. Then he set his chopsticks down and vanished into the kitchen.

Was that a no?

A yes?

Why the HELL was that man so difficult to read?!

How did Mom do it?

Riku heard rummaging in the kitchen and the opening and shutting of several cupboards and drawers and the familiar sound of the refrigerator opening and closing.

"Alright," his dad said as strolled back in the room and took his seat.

"Alright?" Riku pressed.

"I'll bake that cake for you," his dad answered. "On a few conditions though…"

"What conditions?" Riku couldn't help but be worried and a little suspicious.

"Yeah, I have to go buy some things for it, so you have to clean up the kitchen and do the dishes while I'm out."

Well, that was fair.

"And?"

"And now I want cake, so I guess I'll have to make an extra one for us… and maybe Shuichi if he hurries his ass home before I eat his share."

Of course. There was a time in Riku's life when he thought birthday cakes came half-eaten. At least he was making his own this time instead of cutting a slice from the birthday boy's.

"Is that all?"

"No, one last thing…"

Riku flinched. What could his dad possibly want from him?

"Make it with me?"

Riku stared at him in disbelief. Maybe Mom was right after all, Dad was sometimes hard to understand, but perhaps he really was trying.

"Sure."

And maybe it wasn't so bad having him home after all.

The End.

More A/N:

I will be adding a short 'epilogue' in a second chapter.

It's super cute, so keep a lookout for that.

Remember, kids: feedback keeps the muse well fed and creating, so please feel free to leave a review.