Parenting the Right Way

Blood Problems

"Coby! I have a play room, now!" Luffy cheered when his friend came out of Makino's car. He ran to Luffy and they hugged and then both five year olds ran into their new home and upstairs to play in Luffy's new room. All of his toys were stored in there, because that was where toys belonged, in Luffy's opinion.

Luffy heard Katakuri greet Makino before she drove away. So Coby would be spending time with them, today. They played with the plethora of toys and various coloring books. After playing on the rug that had streets on it with their toy cars, he ran downstairs and asked papa if they could play hide and seek.

Coby was all for this, and the boys ran in different directions to hide from the large man. Luffy stuffed himself under the sink, squished into a tiny ball while he heard Coby hide behind the curtains. They were thick and closed right now, so there was a lot of space to hide behind them. Luffy held his breath when he heard Katakuri announce he was done counting.

He took his time finding them, and found Coby first. "No!" the five year old complained about being found first. "How about we both look for Luffy?" Katakuri offered. So they looked for him and then Coby opened the cupboard.

"Found you!" Coby cheered.

"I won, though," Luffy mumbled, needing help to go out due to how he'd maneuvered his body. Getting dislodged, he flopped out onto the wood floor with an "oof!" Coby asked if he was okay, and Luffy nodded. Then they got up and got some snacks from the fridge. On the shelf they could reach had all the snacks. Yogurts and other snacks.

Katakuri went to the couch, staying in the same room while they ate. They talked about random things while eating the yogurt. It wasn't healthy greek yogurt because that made Luffy feel sick. So this was the most sugary snack they had. Coby went to put the spoon in the dishwasher when he slipped on his loose sock and face planted.

He hit his nose hard, and it was bleeding. "Coby!" Luffy cried when he saw before the sudden smell of blood hit him. "Papa! Coby's hurt!" Luffy cried, trying to plug his nose as the other boy cried, his face hurting. Katakuri hurried to Coby and helped him up, getting him a napkin for his nose.

The father inspected it, and said it hadn't been broken. But the blood didn't stop, and Luffy's tummy rumbled. It happened before now, but this was the first time it happened to his family or friends. Well, besides when he bit Zoro back in the rehab.

When Coby stood up, Luffy backed away a step. "What's wrong?" Coby asked, still sniffling and pinching his nose shut. Katakuri was on the phone, telling Makino. But he was also standing in between them in case Luffy had something happen.

The black haired boy looked down. "It smells yummy," he admitted in shame.

"Oh. It's not your fault, though," Coby replied, even if he looked a bit uncomfortable. Once the blood stopped, his face was wiped up. He wanted to go home, not in the mood to play anymore. While they waited, Luffy went to the trash can with the spoiled napkin in it, and felt like a robot as he dug it out, and smelled it deeply. It smelled good. But Coby wandered in for water while waiting, and saw what Luffy was doing. "What...?"

Luffy looked up, his pupils blown wide. There was the source of the yummy blood. His teeth elongated against his will, and he leaned forward before his feet were covered in mochi and stuck him to the floor. Coby looked frightened. "Why don't we go outside to wait for your mommy?" Katakuri asked, his voice soft and kind, trying to calm the situation.

The other boy nodded and fled the kitchen. Once he was gone, Luffy fell to his knees, the mochi stretching just slightly, and started to cry. He really felt like a monster.

-x-

"We should started feeding you more often. On a schedule, not just when you're thirsty," Katakuri said kindly on the couch. Luffy was facedown on the bean bag chair across from him, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. He'd heard Coby crying about Luffy scaring him when Makino arrived at the house.