Kakashi didn’t know what to expect when he was called to the Hokage office. He assumed it was just another mission, so he put his uniform on, concealing his face underneath his mask, and made his way undetected.

He hadnt expected to be greeted by the Hokage alongside one of the legendary Sannin. The other white-haired man had been out of the village for a while, claiming to have research to do. Kakashi was a bit surprised to see him there.

He was even more surprised when they settled down and Jiraiya brought out a small blue-haired girl. She looked around seven… almost the same number of year Jiraiya had been gone for. Kakashi assumed it was the older man’s daughter and he would be assigned to guard her.

But what he was told was much worse.

Kakashi had never sought out love. He had actively avoided it, his childhood traumas leaving him to scarred to get close to anyone. He had seen others find love during times of war only to be left with hurt and alone. Kakashi tried to stay away from it as long as possible.

Yet he couldn’t help it when a beautiful girl with the kindest soul make her way into his heart, making him year for something he have vowed to never have, never want. Every time she stepped into the room, he couldn’t help but let his mind wonder to the terrifying place of his imagination, the future. Imagining their future together.

Kiyomi Tatsuyama. That was her name. The girl with all the time in the word, who used it all to pester him. She would always bother him during his morning walks, beg to spar with him only to go home with bruises, make him lunches when she assumed he was to busy to make his own, and bring him extra scarves during winter.

It annoyed him. She always asked what he was doing, the thing he liked, his favorite foods, his hobbies, and what kind of Shinobi he was.

He tried hard to put a distance between them, but mo matter what he did, she found a way to get to him. He hate it.

He hated how he would walk by her house slower when he noticed her rushing to do her hair before joining him. He hated how he would fall into an easy cycle of teasing and playful banter during their spars.

He hated how he would purposely complain to his comrades about how hungry he was when she was around so he could try the new food she made, despite it being overcooked. He hated how he’d leave his coat and scarf at home so she would nag and feel bad for him.

He hated the way her finger tips left a warm trail against his neck when she wrapped her scarf around him, the small scowl on her when she scolded him, the small dimple that appeared when she caught him staring blissfully, asking if he was listening, and how she would blush when she tried to scold him.

He hated the fact that he fell in love with her. And he hated it when she left. Leaving him behind with just a bite, telling him he would be in her heart forever before disappearing from his life forever.

His comrades would ask about her once they noticed the “fly” was no longer hanging around him, wondering if she had finally gotten the clue and stopped bothering him. He hated how heart broke he felt.

He hated how he could still hear the small cracks in his heart grow even after all these years as he read a note she had left him again. Hearing her soft voice saying he words he read:

“I always liked the cold. I liked the cute outfits I got to wear. The excuses it gave me to get close to you. I liked how warm I felt without feeling sweaty. I always felt that way around you. I felt nice and warm. Sorry if I bothered you, Kakashi. I couldn’t help who I fell in love with and how I handled it. I’m also sorry for what I’m about to do you. I don’t trust anyone the way I trust you. I know you’ll take care of her. People aren’t so kind to those who are different, of the unknown. She’s a good kid. She won’t bother you much. She likes to speak a lot but if you ask her to be quiet she won’t talk. She loves winters as much as I do and she likes to watch the stars shine. She doesn’t know how to make friends and she likes to eat a bunch of Dorayaki. Please take care of Kasumi for me…

I want you to know….I do remember that night.. Thank you.”

Kakashi couldn’t help the ache in his chest when he finished reading the letter. The way he crumpled the paper. The way he stared at the girl who stood behind Jiraiya, looking around curiously. The way the older men looked at him with hidden pitty behind their eyes.

He felt another stab at the heart.

“Kakashi, you understand you must take care of this girl? This child has been entrusted to your care. If you refuse her, she will be handed off to her grandfather. Although the isn’t reckless, he is in no condition to take care of a child. He can barely walk himself.” Hiruzen explained, his voice steady but his eyes filled with unspoken concern. Kakashi could feel the weight of his options being laid in front of him.

Jiraiya glance at him. His usual carefree deamnored replaced with a rare seriousness.

“She posses a Sharigan. It was placed in her. She can’t control it, and the longer it remains unstable, the more dangerous it becomes: not only that but…” Jiraiya paused, his face softening as he looked at the small girl who clung to his sleeve, her eyes landing on his, her big innocent eyes looking at him.

“Kasumi is daughter or Kenshiro Kaguyuki. Which means her anatomy is different than ours. Where we are warm blooded, Kasumi is not. She was born in the cold…. Kasumi is also mute.” Jiraya continued, his voice betraying a hint of sorrow. Kakashi’s eyes widened as he looked at the girl who tilted her head at him before hiding her small body behind the larger man.

“She wasn’t born with it. She developed it after going through a traumatic experience. It’s called Selective Mutism. Since she was three, she hasn’t spoke to anyone aside from her mother siblings,” Jiraya explained, his tone somber.

Kakashi felt his blood run cold. Hearing Kiyomi had moved on after all those years while he was stuck yearning for her, made him feel glad she found someone else but he couldn’t help the jealously that ran through his veins. Hearing she had children with another man made him feel sick.

“How many?” Kakashi asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Hiruzen stared at him, wondering if that had mattered in this moment.

“Three. This is her only daughter. The man she was married to had threatened to hurt her father if she didn’t come with him. He had four wives with the purpose of breeding strong children from different clans,” Jiraya explained, glancing down at the small girl who plugged her ears to not hear.

“… He committed suicide taking his three other kids with him… we’re still looking for his wives.”

Kakashi felt his jaw clench at the thought. His Kiyomi had spent years with a man who used her for her clan jutsu’s. She had left, and he hadn’t even thought about trying to find her. He had left her to be use by an evil man. Who knows what kind of horrors she and her daughter had to endure.

Kakashi zoned out for the rest of the conversation, hearing Jiraiya talk but unable to make out the words. He couldn’t help but feel like he had failed again, like it was his fault. He should’ve fought for her, he should have chased her. He should have asked her father. He should’ve went after her. Regret filled his body.

He finally tuned back in when he saw Jiraya turn to look down at Kasumi. His brows furrowed as he saw the Sannin make a series of hand signals.

It a took a moment for Kakashi to recognize it. It wasn’t a jutsu he had seen or copied. It was sign language. The girl— Kasumi— was muted she wouldn’t speak to anyone, which meant Jiraiya must’ve learned the easiest way to communicate with her.

Kakashi watched his eye locked with Kasumi. He assumed he was the topic of their conversation. He tried to give her a warm smile, but ended up looking awkward and forced under his mask.

She removed her fingers from her ears, frowning as she looked back up at Jiraiya and signed, ‘Why can’t you take care of me? I don’t want to stay here.’

Jiraiya smiled at the girl, reaching down to pat her head. She blinked at every sudden movement, her eyes wide and wary.

“Donr worry! You’ll be in good hands! Besides, Susu, I was meant to deliver you to who your mother asked. We just got side tracked by— my research,” he said, not signing this time, glancing over at Kakashi. Kasumi nodded sadly.

Kakshi watched as Hiruzen and Jiraiya spoke in a hushed tones, the two of them exchanging glances filled with concern. Meanwhile, Kasumi tugged on Jiraiya’s seeking his attention. Kakashi’s eyes were drawn to her.

Her hair was short, barely longer than her jaw, with uneven lengths and layered pieces sticking out, even her bangs where cut oddly, with chuckle pieces in between her brows, showing off her deep blue eyes. The same blue eyes he once knew, once woke up to, the some ones he had complimented, the ones he saw filled with love. Her hair seemed poorly dyed, large chunks of the bald showing white patches, and strands underneath the blue revealing a mixture of white and blue.

Kakashi watched as Kasumi reached up, offering Jiraiya a coin. The man grinned, giving her a small frog toy before making his leave.

Hiruzen looked at the girl, his eyes softening as she reminded him of the young girl. “This is Kakashi Hatake. You’ll be staying with him from now on,” he told her gently.

Kasumi stared at Kakashi with a blank expression.

Connor had never waited for something this intensely through his entire existence. It felt like time was ticking by slowly, seconds feeling like minutes, minutes feeling like hours and hours feeling like days. The environment of Lieutenant Anderson’s house helped calm him, but not by much. 

He should’ve been happy; the revolution was won, he was free. Markus was out doing what needed to be done, ensuring not only that their kind wasn’t enslaved to humans, but that they had the same quality of life as them as well. This included marriage, but more importantly, adoption. 

Chloe had spoken about wanting to be a mother since before he could remember. When he’d snuck out to see her, going up to her window past the DPD’s hours just to see her smile, to hear her talk about her dreams. She’d talk about how she would see families on the TV while Elijah was watching it…and how she wondered if she could do that someday. 

Back then, he assumed he was investigating deviants, not falling in love.

Even when he deviated, becoming a father was not something he’d planned on doing. He’d never had a connection to parenthood, his only tie being that his partner had once been one. But seeing how Hank’ face shifted when he spoke about Cole, past the grief…he couldn’t help but wonder…

His thoughts were interrupted by Sumo barking softly, perching his paws up by the front door window to see a taxi stopping in front of the house. 

Connor immediately looked up, his body tensing and his stress levels increasing. 

“That must be your girl, Connor.” Hank echoed from the kitchen. 

The androids eyes narrowed as he stood up from the couch, seeing a blonde figure walk up to the door carrying something in her left hand.

The door opened, the first thing Connor noticed was Chloe’s smile. She was glowing.  

“Special delivery for the Andersons!” She exclaimed softly yet excitedly, as try not to wake the small human in the carrier. She closed the door behind her and moved over to the couch, setting the carrier down and sitting beside it. 

Connor looked almost too shocked to move.

Was he scared of what was in that carrier? 

Hank noticed this, getting up and standing by them to mostly make sure Connor was alright. 

“Well? Are you gonna say hi or just stare at it?” He joked.

That appeared to snap Connor out of his staring fit. He couldn’t help it; overanalyzing a situation is what he was programmed to do, and it was official. That was definitely a human baby. Female, 48 hours old. Healthy, thankfully…

He knelt down in front of the couch, right by Chloe's legs to look the child over. It was sleeping, and as careful as he was being, a part of him feared waking her up. 

“Hello, little one,” He spoke softly, under a whisper. Chloe smiled; seeing Connor this vulnerable was a rare sight. He was always on edge, especially after the revolution had been won, always fearful that Cyberlife was somehow watching them.

He slipped his finger into her little hand and the baby started to coo and whine, causing him to look up at Chloe for confirmation that what he was doing was correct. She just nodded and ruffled his hair a little. He was doing well considering how nervous he was. 

Glancing back to the baby, he forced his voice to work again. “I’m Connor…” he introduced. Chloe laughed a little, knowing his discombobulation was probably getting in the way of his speech processors. 

“Dad. You’re Dad.” She corrected him. 

Connor nodded, as if that’s what he meant all along. 

“Right. I’m dad.”

Neither of them were focusing on him, but Hank had this proud little smile on his lips. That changed when Connor looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed just slightly. 

“You’re sure you’re alright with us using his room…?” he asked to confirm. 

Hank shrugged then stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets. “Nobody’s usin’ it now…and I think he’d want me to.” He said, in reference to his late son. It was a lot for him to finally let go of that room, being frozen in time for years…

Connor looked back at the baby, who had opened her eyes at this point. 

“Hi…”

The little girl whined a little and Connor leaned back, taking his hand back as well. “Please don’t cry-..” he uttered, begging the baby.

Chloe smiled again, a laugh escaping. “She’s gonna cry, Connor, that’s just what babies do.”

Connor looked concerned.

“Did I hurt her?”

“No, Connor, you didn’t hurt her. I promise. She’s just confused because her world used to be very small..”

That was a big fear when Connor and Chloe were discussing adoption. Connor kept bringing it up, time after time; he was designed to kill. To hunt. He wasn’t like other androids who knew how to care for children, that simply wasn’t in his code, he said. He was terrified that he would accidentally crush such a precious creature without meaning to. Chloe reassured him that he wouldn’t hurt her, and that even though he wasn’t made for it, fathering would come easy to him. Besides…falling in love wasn’t in his program either, but that didn’t stop him before. 

The hunter nodded, holding the baby's tiny hand again. She seemed to relax again and a sense of calm washed over him. He wouldn’t hurt her. He would never hurt her.

                                * * * * *

The interview had barely started and Joe was already dying to reach out and see how Gaten and Y/N were doing. He was waiting for a commercial break before checking his phone. The second they went to commercial, Joe pulled his phone out of his pocket.

He couldn't tell if he was relieved or nervous that Gaten hadn't texted him. He decided to call him and check.

"Y/N's fine," Gaten said when the phone stopped ringing. "We just finished eating mac and cheese. I'm going to clean her up and then get her ready for bed. I would put her on the phone but she can't talk yet. We're working on it. I've gotten pretty close to getting her to say, "My Daddy is going to be extremely overprotective. Especially when I start dating. . ."

"My daughter will never date," Joe cut him off.

"Yeah," Gaten scoffed. "Good luck with that."

Joe sighed, slowly calming down. He hesitated before asking, "So. . . She's okay?"

"She's fine," Gaten said with a small laugh. "I promised that I had this under control and I meant it."

"I know," he sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just. . . The last few months have been rocky. Y/M/N was on bed rest for two weeks. Then another two weeks after she had Y/N. During those two weeks after she was born, I was able to spend 24/7 with Y/N and. . . I never wanted to leave her side. The second I walked out the door, I regretted it."

"Have you talked to Y/M/N about all this?"

"Well. . ."

"You're connected to your daughter," Gaten said. "There's nothing wrong with that. But if you're thinking about quitting your job and becoming a stay-at-home dad, you need to talk to your wife."

"I know you're right," Joe mumbled. "But I'm the one who is supposed to work and provide for the family. I can't stay at home while Y/M/N works long hours."

"So you don't think women should work?" Gaten teased.

"Don't be an ass," Joe sighed. "You know that's not what I meant."

"I know," he laughed. "It's just fun to mess with you. But in all seriousness, it doesn't matter who or how. You could each work part-time. Y/M/N could work. You could find a different job or cut back on your projects. You and Y/M/N have the same goal: to take care of Y/N."

"You're right. Y/M/N and I have a few conversations we need to have," Joe sighed.

Joe paused when someone tried to get his attention. The interview was about to start again. He nodded toward the assistant, holding up one finger.

"Would you mind watching Y/N tonight? I should take Y/M/N to dinner so we could have those conversations."

"Of course," Gaten said without a second of hesitation.

"Thanks, man."

"The babysitter just got babysat!"