#tkdb jiro

“Yuri Isami doesn’t need courage!” He winced, as if regret settled in as soon as he spoke the words aloud. 

“Well, I do.” You knew he would never relent if you didn’t appeal to his ego, his heroic doctor complex. But it was working, you could tell from the furrow in his brow as he looked at you like he didn’t know how to start. You pulled his tie a little harder, reeling him in. He steeled himself, glancing at your cheek and your lips, torn on where to administer your dose of courage. You angled your head as an answer, offering your lips to him as he hesitated, and pecked at you clumsily. It was more noise than contact, him smacking his lips by your face like a distant cousin at an awkward family reunion. There was the fleeting warmth of his face by yours, before he away as much as he could, which still left next to no room between you. 

“Charmer,” you teased. 

Yuri’s face crumpled into a pout. 

“Don’t make fun of me, you cretin. You’re not making any sense! What use is there- Why would someone even want to- Why here and now?” His voice bounced off the thin metal walls. Thankfully the anomaly didn’t sound close. 

“Just thought it was something within the great doctor’s wheelhouse, is all,” you shrugged. 

“Well obviously I could- I mean it’s so simple even-“ With a huff, Yuri dove for your lips again. Even if it was only to prove to himself he wasn’t afraid of his ditzy patient, you smiled against his lips, knowing you lit that competitive fire in him. He still missed a little, landing on the corner of your mouth and messily trying to course correct. You held his face with your hands and guided him. Soon he found his rhythm and kissed you hungrily. When you parted, breathless, he remained so close that when his tongue darted out across his bottom lip, it also grazed yours. 

“Never doubt what I’m capable of,” he warned, confidence blooming as much as the blush across his pale cheeks. 

Jiro Kirisaki

It was a miracle that the two of you managed to fit in the only unlocked locker there was. Somehow Jiro created space for you, even as he was hunched over to fit inside. You were cradled against his chest, wondering how his heartbeat was barely above resting rate. Yours hammered wildly after seeing the thing that was after you. Was he really detached and unfeeling? Or was he just brave, his scientific curiosity distracting him from the threat of pain and death? You looked up at him to search his face in the dark for answers, only to find him watching you. 

“Breathe slowly to combat your adrenaline crash,” he mumbled. You were still in fight-or-flight mode but you knew exhaustion was soon to follow. Forcing yourself to shut out the sound of pounding blood in your ears, you sucked in a deep breath, almost tasting Jiro’s cologne on your tongue. 

“In through your nose, out through your mouth.” 

You obeyed, breathing deep and slow to calm yourself and try to establish mental clarity instead of your anxious spiral. His breathing remained steady. He didn’t need to be calmed. Was there anything that threw him off balance? 

Thoughts of him worked better to combat your panic, although it kept your heart rate fast. 

With the anomaly stalking you through the halls, your silly social anxieties seemed so insignificant now. He was so close, you stood on your toes and kissed him like you’d thought about doing during the last several health checks. It was just a peck on the lips, but he looked at you like you’d grown a second head. 

Maybe that wasn’t the right move… 

Jiro smiled. One of his small, tender smiles that took your breath away. 

“You must be frightened. Your behavior is erratic.” He pet the top of your head, looking at you like you were a small bunny resting against his chest. You weren’t sure what to make of that reaction, but at least he wasn’t angry like you thought at first.

He glanced at your lips again, licking his as he grew thoughtful. 

“Do it again.” 

The idea surfaces briefly, then gets buried under work and the belief that he would spend his life alone anyway. No partner. No family. Just dedication to his work.

Then you happen.

Somewhere along the way, you’re suddenly together. Married. And he’s standing there, realizing a little too late that his carefully planned solitude has completely unraveled. Did you trick him into this? Possibly. He doesn’t mind, not even a little.

When you tell him you want a child, he doesn’t answer immediately. He needs time. He pretends he’s thinking rationally, but in truth, he’s already imagining it, tiny hands, a future he never allowed himself to picture.

He doesn’t tell you how excited he is. He tells Jiro instead. Late at night, voice low, asking questions that sound hopeful. If things weren’t so strained between him and Jin, he would tell him too. Yuri wants blessings from the friends who’ve stood beside him through worse.

Once the thought settles in, he starts stressing himself out.

He loses sleep. Skips meals. Spends entire nights planning, finances, schedules, contingencies, building a future in his head piece by piece. You’ll have to be the strict one. Because Yuri has a habit of sacrificing himself for others, and that won’t change just because he’s becoming a father.

You have to remind him: if he wants to take care of a child, he has to take care of himself first.

He worries constantly about your health. About the baby. About whether you’re resting enough. He takes the night shifts without complaint, pacing the room with a fussy infant so you can sleep. Dark circles settle under his eyes.

Jiro

Jiro is on the same page as you from the start.

You want kids? He wants kids. Simple as that.

He’s confident. He believes he can protect you, support you, and keep a family safe. Still, the deeper he thinks about it, the more serious he becomes. Raising a child isn’t easy. He knows that.

So he prepares.

He asks everyone. Other ghouls, anyone with experience. He bothers his brother constantly, yes, Zenji is alive and well in this universe and absolutely thriving. Zenji is more excited about Jiro having kids than Jiro himself. If Jiro looks even slightly overwhelmed, Zenji is already planning celebrations.

When the stress starts creeping in, Jiro seeks out Yuri, Rui, and Zenji.

He listens. Takes notes. Mentally files everything away.

Once the kids arrive, he becomes borderline obsessive with cleaning the house.

Every surface is cleaned. Every five seconds.

“Babies are weak,” he mutters, wiping down the same table again. “Can’t let germs get to them.”

He stresses himself out just as much as Yuri does but unlike Yuri, he doesn’t let it show. Because coming home to you and the kids resets him completely. One look, and the exhaustion melts away.

The only thing that ever gives him pause is his health.

He wants to be strong not just for himself, but so he can share the burden with you properly. He wants to be there for the long nights and the hard days, not watching from the sidelines.

And until he’s sure he can do that?

He gives everything he has anyway.