Sinner and a Savior

Ch. 10 - A Mother's Plan

After a few days, your next scheduled meeting with Toji had arrived. You planned this time to take Megumi to the National Museum. You figured it was a nice, quiet place to stroll around with a younger baby with not many eyes on you. 

You happily prepared Megumi for the afternoon out, getting him settled in some comfortable clothing before strapping him into his stroller. You then took your time getting to the museum only to find Toji already waiting out front by the large pond that sat in front of the museum's entrance. 

"Well you're here early," you smiled at him as you approached.
During these outings, you were able to dress casually instead of in a traditional yukata or kimono. Today you had on a simple outfit, just a plain t-shirt and shorts with sneakers. You were thankful for these getaways in order to dress comfortably. Otherwise, the only other comfortable time was preparing for bed!

Toji gave a brief twitch of the lip you supposed was a smile in response to your greeting. You gave a pleasant nod and small smile toward the doorway and began entering, Toji following close behind. You swore you could almost feel the touch of a hand on the small of your back, the light sensation briefly giving you goosebumps. 

As you approached the first set of doors, which included stairs, Toji swiftly and smoothly moved in front of you and gently picked up the front of Megumi's stroller. The baby was barely paying attention, busy teething on the colorful, plastic ring in his hands. 

"Thanks," you blushed and looked up at him as he placed the stroller back on the ground. 

"Well, I'm not gonna' force you to heavy lift my son up a set of stairs," Toji grumbled. "I mean, I don't want to look like some weird-ass stranger just following you around all day. And I may be a killer, but I'm not a damn monster," he gave a laugh. This was generally a lie, he was a monster. Only in special circumstances did he have an ounce of civility.

You chuckled at his response, "thanks either way. And, to be fair, they're now just going to think you're my weird-ass husband." He remained silent at your response and followed you toward the front desk where tickets could be purchased.

"Two adults, please," you asked sweetly to the receptionist who was busy looking up in intimidation from the man behind you.

"T-two thousand yen," she mumbled, quickly moving to get you the tickets as you reached into your bag to get the money the Zenin's gave you as an outing allowance. The outings never had to be paid for out of your own pocket.

From there, the three of you meandered about the various rooms to see the different pieces of art and artifacts. After a while, you took a break for lunch. You purchased food at one of the cafés and took a seat on an outdoor bench. 

Toji took some time to feed Megumi; you had relinquished your nanny duties on these visits considering he was the one who wanted to see his son.
The trip had been mostly silent, Toji wasn't a man of many words but since your last visit to your home, the silence was a bit painful. You were left with your thoughts and watching as other couples passed by with their young ones you couldn't help but feel Masaru's betrayal as well as your own to your daughter, Tsumiki. 
At this point, you couldn't hold back the tears. A few, small stray droplets fell down your cheek though you remained silent. A single sniffle gave everything away.

"Y/N?" Toji looked over at you. Baby Megumi was slung over his shoulder and in the middle of a burping. "You cryin' right now?" You silently shook your head and quickly reached for a napkin to dab your cheek. "You're crying," Toji huffed in confirmation. "What now?"

"Just...you know," you mumbled before taking a deep breath, "things," you looked up and over at him, a flat-lipped smile to smother your negative emotions.