Confession ~Juuzou x Reader AU~

Chapter 21: I Love You

"That's Daddy?" Rui asks, her small voice full of curiosity.

I nod, "Yeah. That's your dad."

We're both seated on the bed in our suite, Rui on my lap as I hold my phone in front of her. Displayed on the screen is a picture of Lucas. One of the last ones taken.

In it, he is smiling that million-dollar smile of his, flashing white teeth. His brunette hair is swooped to the side, exposing his face. A rosy nose, freckled cheeks, and pretty hazel eyes. That's what we see. That was Lucas.

"Daddy," she says again, reaching for the image. "Hi, Daddy."

My heart swells, teetering between wanting to break and wanting to swaddle my daughter. This is her first time seeing Lucas. To really see him. She might have seen a few pictures of him hanging in Martha and Joseph's house, but none as recent as this one. None taken the day of our baby shower.

"Daddy loves me," she continues.

I sniffle, "Yeah...yeah. Daddy really loves you a lot, sweet girl. You are Daddy's whole world. You always have been."

And that's the truth. From the very start, Rui was Lucas's pride and joy. Hell, he was far happier than he was scared when we found out. Not that we planned anything. Rui was anything but planned. But still, he took that news, and instead of saying his life was over, he claimed it was just beginning. And it was. It was only just beginning. Then it was cut short so abruptly.

But she doesn't need to know that. Not right now. Right now, she's only three. She wouldn't understand that, anyway. But one day she will. One day she will come up to me and ask what happened to her dad and I'll have to tell her. She'll learn everything that I know, and it might upset her. She might cry, mourning the father she never got to know. She might not know how to react, which is valid.

No matter how she may feel, I know that'll be a heartbreaking day. It'll kill me to see her in pain, and it'll kill me in the sense that I'll have to relive his death all over again. Though, I hope by then I can at least stomach it. I might not be okay with it, but simply accepting it will be something. I hope so, anyway.

"I love you, Daddy!" she squeals. She smiles brightly, turning to me. "I wanna see Daddy!"

Heartbreak. Instant. I swallow. "Um, we can't right now, sweetie. But one day you can see Daddy, I promise."

"How come?"

She's curious. I understand why. I get it, but I wasn't ready for this. Not yet. Not right now.

"Because...Daddy is sleeping." Not a lie completely, but also nowhere near the truth. "Daddy is in a very deep, deep sleep. And you can't really see him."

She makes a face. One that tells me she doesn't fully understand, but just as quickly as that expression appears, it vanishes, being replaced by a simple shrug.

"Okay." She looks back at the picture and smiles. "I love you, Daddy. Sleep good."

She kisses the picture and slides off my lap, teetering over to her half-eaten plate of food. The screen of the TV reflects in her e/c gaze as she mindlessly eats her grilled cheese.

I smile. The mind of a child is so small at times, but right now, I appreciate that. I'm not ready to tell her more about what happened to Lucas. I don't have the words or the capacity to fully process anything into proper words. So, I need that time. At least a little.

I glance back at the picture, feeling my heart beat in this hollow rhythm. It still hurts to see his face, especially in a picture as recent as this one. To know that just weeks later he would...

"I miss you," I whisper lowly. "I miss you and I love you. I always will."

And I will. I always will. He was my first love. The father of my child. We were planning a life together. Someone doesn't just get over something like that. But for some reason, I'm okay with that.

I'm okay.

**Ello lovelies! So, a short chapter today, but it seems it was a sweet little moment between Y/N and Rui. Some bonding over the photo of Lucas. That said, don't worry. I haven't forgotten about Mr. Key or Juuzou. We will be getting back to them here soon! Well, that'll do for this post. Thank y'all oh, so, so much for everything! Y'all are awesome sauce! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross