Pink bruises - Soudam

Chapter 20

TWs/CWs: mentions of child and animal ab//se

Ms Tanaka was a good cook. Maybe the best cook I've ever met- which isn't many, I don't eat much food made by other people. So she's the only... doesn't matter, Kazuichi put a spoonful of rice in his mouth and ignored his thoughts. Gundham had brought Fuku to the dinner table. Ms Tanaka didn't seem to mind, thankfully. "Do you usually uh... have animals at the table?" Kazuichi asked awkwardly.

"Well I could not leave him alone that long," Gundham replied matter-o-factly. "And he must be warm!"

"Don't you have like a uh, heating pad?"

"No no I could never, he needs his parent or litter mates and he has neither, so I shall suffice," Gundham nodded and chewed his fish. Fuku was sitting asleep on his lap.

"Babies need their parents!" Ms Tanaka chuckled affectionately. "My son is a good animal mother."

"Mmm," Kazuichi ate another mouthful of rice so he wouldn't have to reply. I needed my parents and they weren't there and I'm... not dead so uh.

"What are you thinking of mortal?" Gundham titled his head like a puppy. "You are making thinking noises."

"Huh?" Kazuichi looked up, eyes wide, then relaxed his face to seem less confused. "Oh no I'm good-"

"What is in your head currently?" Gundham studied his face. Kazuichi tried not to blush.

"Not much heh-"

"Thoughts?"

"Oh uh... well..." he didn't really want to answer that. "..."

"How was your day boys?" Ms Tanaka asked, probably trying to change the subject but not doing to well, to Kazuichi's slight despair. To make things worse, Gundham started to explain.

"Well me and mortal had to go into the town, as mortal Soda had to go to do work, he works in a car shop," the tall boy started to ramble to his mother. "And then I discovered this beautiful spirit hiding by a bush," he pet the sleeping Fuku between the ears, "which was not right, so I traveled a little way to a footwear store and acquired a box, and the spirit was now safe in my care. Unfortunately before we could get home the mortal was contacted by his... father, and was in need of comfort."

Ms Tanaka frowned and Kazuichi stared uncomfortably at the table. "Comfort?"

"... yeah."

"Is your father not at home?" Ms Tanaka glanced at him. Kazuichi didn't know how she felt, he didn't want to look up to see her face.

"... no." He uncomfortably put down his chopsticks.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know."

"Has he gone missing?!"

"No he's helping a friend move out."

"And you don't know where he is??"

"No."

"Does he know you're here??"

"No."

"... is that why the police came over? You ran away?"

"... mhm." Kazuichi tried to ignore and suppress the tears pricking in his eyes and shoved more rice in his mouth, but accidentally inhaled a grain and started coughing. He swallowed and tried to recompose himself. "Sorry, ow-"

"Mother, mortal Soda's father is a bad man," Gundham finally said. Kazuichi noted mentally to get mad at him later.

"No he's not he just-"