#r-19

Bandaged his boo-boos.

dfghjkhgfg okay so I MAY have read this one wrong but it was too good of an idea not to roll with lmao. Ended up leaving Ophion out as I ran out of steam but I do hope these turned out okay (also for the record I would absolutely co-parent with Tak and Gull in a heartbeat because who wouldn’t dfghds)

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Takemaru

If you could adopt these kids, you’d do it in a heartbeat. You’re not sure what made you come to this conclusion - maybe it’s because seeing the lack of parental figures in their life made you want to take them under your wing, or maybe you just wanted them to be given the same amount of love and support and have someone in their corner who’s willing to support and help them. Whatever the reason, it’s made you a parent magnet, and you’ve become a person who many kids look up to (outside of battle of course - you are not letting them be as reckless as you are), which in turn has just made you more protective of them. Even if it’s just little things, like carrying around snacks for them if they look hungry, helping them with schoolwork, giving them advice when they come to you for help with issues that they’re having - whatever it is, you’re always willing to pitch in to help make their lives just a little bit easier to navigate through.

You’re so used to taking on a parental role you don’t think twice about helping Robinson button up his coat while you’re outside - with the weather taking a turn the last thing you’d do is let him go out without at least keeping warm. You admit that you end up fussing a bit over making sure Robinson’s bundled up, as you just wanted to make sure that he wasn’t going to catch a cold, so you’d paused to make sure he had it buttoned all the way up and had the zip fastened. You didn’t think much about giving him your scarf and gloves either, as Robinson at least seems grateful for the additional warmth when you offer it to him. You’re just finishing up wrapping the scarf around the boy’s shoulders and making sure that he’s doing okay when Takemaru spots what you’re doing.

The oni can’t help but admire how you fit into the role of the loving parent so well, watching you talk with the kid as you loop the two ends of the scarf together and make sure that he’s nice and snug. You smile softly watching Robinson tug up the garment a little higher to protect his cheeks from the cold with a happy expression of his own. 

It’s no secret that the thought of starting a family with you has crossed his mind before, and he’s even let it slip around you once or twice, but just seeing how you’ve practically adopted these children and shown them your love and support makes those thoughts come back full force. 

What really does him in is the way your expression lights up when you finally notice him, waving him over to come and join the two of you as you straighten up and ruffle Robinson’s hair. You’ve introduced Tak to the kid before, and it’s clear that he’s attached to you with how close he sticks to your side whenever he sees the two of you together - he’s definitely got the protective son vibe down pat. But upon seeing how you beam at the oni as he strides over, Robinson eases up a bit upon seeing how eagerly you greet him, and soon enough the three of you are moving on to enjoy the festivities together.

 A lot of the festive stores are still open, with colorful lights bathing the stalls and crowds in a warm, multi-colored glow as everyone moves around. Robinson seems to be enjoying watching everyone pass as the three of you walk around, though Takemaru notices that he keeps trying to get a peek at all of the open stores as they pass, only to keep getting blocked by one person or another ruining his view. It’s around the third time he notices this that Tak leans down and asks the kid if he wants a boost to be the lookout for cool looking stalls; Robinson seems to hesitate for a moment, squeezing your hand as he mulls it over, then Robinson nods, proudly declaring that Tak can leave it to him as the taller man stoops down to help the boy climb up onto his shoulders. 

You can’t help but feel a warmth in your chest as the sight of Tak carrying Robinson around on his shoulders, the younger of the two working diligently to look for places to head to next as he tells Takemaru what he sees - but alongside that you can see the wonder and awe in his expression that’s more fitting for his age. Robinson really hasn’t had much of a chance to just be a kid, and your heart swells watching him perched atop Tak’s shoulders. They almost looks like father and son - that thought makes you giggle, but you keep it to yourself for now, instead returning your focus back to the two as Robinson points out something further into the main venue, patting Tak’s head to get the transient’s attention and urging him to move over to where he’s pointing. Not wanting you to get left behind, Tak reaches out for your hand and you slip your hand into his without hesitation, squeezing it tight as you follow along with Robinson’s directions, joking that you want a turn as lookout next and watching Tak’s expression turn a lovely shade of pink when you muse that he could carry the both of you with ease thanks to how strong he is.

Gullinbursti

With how many younger members your guild’s managed to pick up over the course of its founding, it makes sense that as guildmaster you’d take it as your responsibility to keep an eye on them and make sure they’re safe. Or at least, that’s what you tell others when they point out that you’re acting more like a doting parent than a guildmaster - a fact that you’re quickly realizing is true even if you don’t admit it outloud. It doesn’t help that they all look up to you so much either, often tagging along with you whenever you’re going out on guild errands or need help with something. You’re always eager to step in and help them in return - you want to make sure that they’re all safe and having as much fun as they can whenever they’re around, whether that’s helping them with their schoolwork or giving them advice. You wonder if this is how Mr. Mononobe feels about the students - it’s always been a running joke that he’s team dad of the school, taking everyone under his wing and guiding them - but you’ve caught people calling you the team parent of the summoners and it’s always given you pause. It appears you’re not the only one who’s taken notice of you acting parental to some of your younger peers.

You’re helping the kids with some schoolwork, with Kijimuna perched on your lap and R-19 and Agyo flanking on either side, watching diligently as you point out some of the questions Kiji’s struggling on and help him work through it. Usually it would be a handful to get them to concentrate - Kijimuna loves to play and have fun, and more often than not manages to rope the other two into playing with him; however, you’ve managed to get them settled down, and they all look surprisingly focused as they listen to you talk. It’s going a lot better than you thought it would, and in the middle of studying Gull wanders into the room and looks at the scene he’s greeted with. He gives you a curious look but when you wave him to come over he follows the direction without question, taking a seat close to Agyo and watching you continue with the lesson just as intently as the kids are - it’s honestly kind of cute.

Kijimuna and Agyo both end up drifting off mid-way through the studying session, with Kiji having twisted around while you talked to sleep with his face buried into your shoulder, and with Agyo having nodded off against Gull’s side cuddling into his pelt. They look so comfortable you don’t have the heart to wake them, cradling the child close to your chest as you look over at Gull and watch him use an arm to steady Agyo. When Gullinbursti looks up at you he regards you with a perplexed expression, watching you run a hand through Kijimuna’s hair as you close up the books and clear up the mess of pens and pencils, sorting them into a neat pile with a chuckle of how easily these kiddos wear themselves out. You catch him looking at you and quirk a brow, asking him what’s up, and notes out loud that you look so happy whenever you’re taking care of them - much like a parent. 

Hearing Gull’s words you get a little bashful but still find yourself smiling fondly as your gaze flickers down to Kijimuna as he mumbles something in his sleep; patting his head you find yourself agreeing with him. Of course you’re happy - you love being there to support them and seeing them grow; it makes you feel proud being around to see them learn about the world around them, it’s almost like they’re your kids. Guess that really does make you feel like a parent, huh?

At your response Gull takes a moment to think, giving you an intense look right before he opens his mouth to respond:

“Master, would more children make you even happier? If so, I would be happy to provide as many as you’d like.”

You flush at the words, and go to quickly correct him that you don’t think that making children is quite the same thing as helping the younger guilds with homework, but mid-sentence R-19 - who’s apparently been awake throughout this whole exchange - chimes in. When he mentions that you have yet to show any signs of pregnancy, and doesn’t understand why Gull made such a comment you just about keel over where you sit. It seems as though your floundering ended up waking Kijimuna up too, as he goes from rubbing his eyes to letting out a loud gasp at the word pregnancy, and now you’ve got an excitable tree spirit on your hands, bouncing around and asking you if there’s really a baby coming to the guild. Right as things can’t get any worse a shrill scream of “A BABY?!” from a now very much awake Agyo has you burying your face into your hands with a groan, already dreading the conversation you’re going to have to have with them before Shiro catches wind of the situation.

Temujin

Ikutoshi sometimes kicks up a fuss about you acting like you’re his parent, but he at least respects that you don’t push the idea - you don’t baby them or look down on them which Ikutoshi respects and Kagatsuchi loves, so it comes as a surprise to very few that you end up practically adopting the pair as time goes on. On more than one occasion you’ve ended up taking on the mentor role with the two of them, helping them out with their training whenever they come up to you to spar - they’re both always eager to test their mettle against you, and you’re eager to teach them what you know. If you can’t stop them from getting into fights, the least you can do is make sure that they go into them prepared.

This is exactly how Temujin comes across you. Temujin usually takes his training sessions outside of the main city, removing the distractions of the bustling world to immerse himself in honing his already impressive skills. And it is here that the two of you end up crossing paths, with you having just finished a sparring session with Ikutoshi and Kagutsuchi that had taken place outside of the dojo. Ikutoshi's sat across from you, sat on a log and working on lacing up his boots as you help Kagutsuchi into his - you don’t really need to help him, but the small acts like that are well worth the smiles and words of thanks that you get from the kid in return. You hear Temujin approach before you see him, tilting your head back as you greet the archer, and noting your surprise at running into him in this area. 

You’re expecting him to make some kind of comment - some not-so innocent slip of the tongue like you’re used to so you have a prime reason to leave. What comes out instead is an invitation to join the three of you - it appears as though you’re preparing to make your way back into the city, so he would like to accompany you until then, if only for a little while. His request gives you pause and you purse your lips, mulling the request over; there’s a few beats of silence before you shrug - eh, why not? So long as he doesn’t pull anything you’ll handle his company for a little while. You tilt your head, gesturing for him to take a seat by you as you finish up with Kagusuchi’s boots, and he settles down, folding his arms and watching you as you move. 

You may not notice it, but you’re more doting on the children than you think, pausing mid lace-up to fish some snacks you’d prepared out of your bag and handing them to the boys. The expression on your face when you regard them is soft, and it doesn’t take a genius to note that the way you’re treating them is less like an older sibling and more like a protective parent. Kagutsuchi is equally attached to you, and while Ikutoshi seems annoyed on the outset, it isn’t hard to see that he doesn’t entirely hate the way that you treat the two of them. It’s as though watching a parent and child, bringing them out to spar and guiding them as you do so - the thought is amusing to Temujin, and he finds himself entertaining that line of thinking as he continues to watch you. Once you finish tying up both of Kagutsuchi’s shoes the boy jumps to his feet, giving you a beaming smile as he thanks you and you chuckle, ruffling his hair and letting him run over to Ikutoshi as you stand to your feet and spin around to face the wolf. Following your lead, Temujin also rises to stand and he comments on how doting you seem to be with the young boys, a comment that has you raising your brows as you ask him what he means.

As expected, the next words out of Temujin’s mouth have to do with children, specifically his children and how your affinity towards childcare is yet another reason why you’re such a desirable candidate to bear his children. You give him an aghast look, sincerely hoping that the kids at least didn’t hear him say that or you’d kick his ass here and now; but you don’t need to even respond. No sooner do the words leave his mouth, a boot comes sailing over your shoulder and just barely misses nailing the wolf in the side of his head. You turn around to find Ikutoshi still sitting on the same log, mid-way through tying one his boots with the other missing as he bluntly comments that the shoe was too loose and that he might need some help, all the while giving Temujin a pointed stare as he says this.

Confession 201