Title: I Saw Daddy…
Author: bakayaro onna
Category: Fluff
Pairing: none – surprise! Although Eiri and Shuichi are implied.
Started: 17 December 2007
Completed: 24 December 2007
Rating: PG, only because men kissing men is mentioned.
Disclaimer: Gravitation is the property of Maki Murakami, Sony and TokyoPop. No money is being made from any ventures with these characters. I am just a fan who writes and draws in this universe because of my love of the series.
Summary: One-shot. A holiday present for my Gravi beta, Aja, with her original character, Naora, and her two daddies. Why is Naora crying on Christmas Day?
Acknowledgement: Beta-ed by my beta because she knows her original character's voice and attributes better than I do. Thanks for the tips!
Author Note: Naora, Aja's original character from her ABC series, immediately started talking to me when I heard a particular song this holiday. Do you know how difficult it is to write in a child's voice when you don't have any children to observe speech patterns? Aja helped me get Naora nailed down more accurately and here is the story.
I Saw Daddy…
by bakayaro onna
Since her adoption, Naora had discovered Christmas was more fun than when she was living in the Caritas orphanage. She didn't have to wake up and go to midnight Mass anymore. She stayed up late and watched her daddy and his friends sing holiday songs on a bright stage. Instead of making paper ornaments for the tree, she had lots of store-bought shiny ones and some even moved! She still made ornaments and hung them and they looked so nice with the sparkly ones. She got to decorate with her daddy and he was always so happy as he strung lights and hung decorations throughout their home. Her other daddy made sure the tree wouldn't fall over and that was good, too!
And now it was the best day for presents - Christmas Day! Naora had waited and waited and tried to be a good girl for her daddies but now her stomach hurt instead and she did not want to leave her room.
She heard Daddy Shuichi call "Naora-chan!" in his pretty voice from down the hall and cringed. She clutched Hitomi, her favorite doll, and huddled on her bed.
Daddy Shuichi opened her door and popped his bright head in, smiling happily. "Come on, Naora-chan! Don't you want to see what Santa-san brought you last night?"
Naora-chan's lip trembled for a moment, then her tears began in earnest. "No! Santa-san is not a nice person! He hurt Daddy Shuichi!"
What are you talking about, Naora-chan? Santa-san brings me nice presents every year. He hasn't hurt me."
"Y-y-y-yes he has!" she blubbered. Daddy Eiri's head appearing above Daddy Shuichi's in the doorway made her cry more. "Daddy Eiri knows! He was there! I'll have to go back to Caritas!" She looked away and cried harder, hiding her face with her doll.
She didn't know anyone had come near her until she felt arms go around her from behind. She turned, looked up at Daddy Shuichi's concerned face, crawled into his lap and buried herself into his chest, still sobbing.
She heard Daddy Eiri's 'stern' voice close-by. "No, I do not know what she is talking about, bratt!"
Daddy Shuichi's voice was calm and close to her ear. "Naora-chan, you will never go back to Caritas, never!" Naora felt Daddy Shuichi's comforting squeeze around her body. "Please tell me what's wrong."
Naora sniffed and looked once again at Daddy Shuichi's beautiful but worried eyes. "I got thirsty last night and it was really dark but I went to the kitchen instead of the bathroom for a drink because I wanted some cold water from the 'frigerator. I remembered Santa-san's milk and cookies and I wanted to see if he had come by and eaten his snack. I was not trying to see my presents, honest! When I got close to the living room, I saw the light on and heard some noises and thought it might be Santa-san, so I took a peek."
Her face crumpled as new tears welled up. "I…I saw Santa-san… Daddy Eiri was kissing Santa-san! That means he doesn't love Daddy Shuichi anymore and I won't live here anymore and…"
"WHAT?" Naori flinched at Daddy Eiri's annoyed voice.
"Eiri, stop scaring her!" Daddy Shuichi's arms tightened around her body as he started rocking her in his lap and humming a calming song. Naora held on tight to her daddy. Daddy Shuichi gave the best snuggles and always made her feel better. Daddy Eiri was strict but made sure she ate good food and took her to the park to play and pinned her art up on his workroom walls. She was glad she wouldn't lose her daddies.
After a little while, her tears slowed down and she took a deep breath. Daddy Shuichi stopped humming and asked softly, "Better?" She nodded. "Now, Naora-chan, can you remember what Santa-san was wearing?"
"A little… He was in red with white furry trim," Naora sniffled.
"Santa-san wears long red pants, right?" asked Daddy Shuichi. Naora nodded yes. "Do you remember seeing long red pants?" Daddy Shuichi prompted.
Naora thought about it hard. "No, they were black, shiny and short," she said contemplatively.
Daddy Eiri's low voice said, "Do you remember us watching Daddy Shuichi's concert before going to bed?"
Naora looked over at Daddy Eiri, who didn't look angry but not happy, either. "Yeah…," she muttered quietly.
Daddy Shuichi asked, "Do you remember what was I wearing during the last song?" Naora looked back at her cuddling daddy and thought some more. Suddenly she gasped and her eyes got wide. "Ohhhh!" she exclaimed and put her hand to her mouth.
"That's right, Naora-chan, Daddy Eiri was kissing me, not Santa-san," said Daddy Shuichi with a smile. "Did that shirt make me look as fat as Santa-san?"
Naora giggled and looked up at Daddy Eiri, who was rolling his eyes to the ceiling. She wiggled out of Daddy Shuichi's arms and dashed over to her standing daddy, grabbing and tightly hugging his leg. "I'm sorry, Daddy Eiri!" she cried into his trousers' fabric. She felt Daddy Eiri's hand cup her head and pet her hair gently. She always liked it when Daddy Eiri did that.
"Naora-chan…," said Daddy Eiri in the soft voice he used just for her. She looked up and saw the small smile on his face. "You know I only kiss Daddy Shuichi on the lips, right?" She nodded vigorously in agreement. "Well then," he said.
Daddy Shuichi got up from her bed and walked over to join in the hug. Naora liked being in the middle of a hug, especially daddy hugs!
Daddy Shuichi knelt down so Naora could see his face easily. "Come on, let's go wash your face so you will feel better. Then we can open presents."
"Presents!" Naora squealed, latched onto her daddies' hands and started pulling them toward the door. Everything was good again!