What a Life This Is - A Collection of Short Stories

Harder Than A Egg

Karou and Kojiro are still pretty new parents, and the job is a LOT harder than they thought it would be.

[This is a flashback to when Kadence was a toddler]
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Kojiro and Karou have been parents for exactly three years, three months, five weeks, and four days.

And by GOD, was it difficult. It was only ten in the morning, and their daughter Kadence had already managed to almost die twice. Once, when she tried to climb on the kitchen counter and nearly broke every bone in her little body, and the second time during breakfast, when she'd attempted to stuff a piece of pancake in her mouth big enough to choke an adult man.

Now, Kojiro and Karou were on the living room floor, Kojiro lying flat on his back and Karou leaning against the couch, both of them basically zombies as Kadence happily rolled around on the carpet near them, singing a silly song made up of random words she'd recently learned how to say.

"I'm so-.. tired.." Karou rasped, and Kojiro nodded from his place on the floor, "It's a miracle she isn't dead."

Kadence got up from her place on the carpet, toddling her way over to Kojiro and plopping down next to his head, "You okay-kay, Daddy?"

Kojiro smiled tiredly at her, "Daddy's just tired, sweetheart.."

"Why?"

"Eh- It's been a long day," Kojiro replied, closing his eyes as Karou held out his arms, "C'mere honey."

Kadence quickly got up, making her way over to her Papa's place in front of the couch and settling in his lap, resting her head on his shoulder as she let out a yawn.

"Finally wore yourself out?" Karou asked, and Kadence nodded sluggishly.

"Alright, let's go put you down for a nap, okay?" Karou said quietly, as he stood up and hefted Kadence in his arms, chuckling as he wrapped her arms and legs around him like a koala, burying her face in the crook of his neck as they walked.

About three minutes later, Karou trudged back into the living room, yawning as he slowly lowered himself to the floor and laid down, snuggling up against Kojiro with a satisfied sigh.

"Didn't take as long this time?" Kojiro asked, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend with a smile as Karou nodded, eyes still closed, "She was just as tired as we are."

"A nap does sound nice right now," Kojiro replied, and Karou nodded again, his lack of a response making Kojiro chuckle a bit as he asked, "Don't you wanna move to the bed?"

Karou shook his head this time, his brow furrowing as he buried his face in Kojiro's chest, "Shut up and let me sleep," he mumbled.

They were silent for a while, and then Kojiro spoke again, more quietly this time, "You remember that school project we got once? Where we had to take care of an egg for seven days?"

"Mmhm," Karou hummed, eyes still closed as he smiled, "Wasn't that project supposed to teach us about being parents?"

"Yep, it was supposed to help us understand the 'fragility of life'," Kojiro replied, and the two men chuckled a bit, Karou moving to the side and turning over, so he was lying on his back next to Kojiro.

"The real thing is so much harder," he mused, and Kojiro did his best to nod, "Soooo much harder."

"But- hey," Karou said, turning onto his side to gaze at Kojiro, "we've got this, right?"

Kojiro smiled back at him, "Yeah," he said softly, "We've got this."