Italic 。| jeunmiessi [Toji Fushiguro x Reader] COMPLETED

19

[DISCLAIMER: Mentions of abuse and violence are present in this chapter. Please proceed with caution. Enjoy!]

Toji's POV

I found Toya kneeling on the ground of Naobito's living room when I arrived, and there, Naobito was rested on his lap having a hard time to breathe. I rushed to them and checked on his pulse and it was a little fast but does not seem very critical. I looked around the house and it was a disaster.

"What happened?" I asked Toya. He took a few seconds before he could respond to me.

"N-Naoya caused a tantrum... M-Mr. Zenin suddenly felt weak and he wasn't responsive e-earlier." He said. I told Toya to get a glass of water and a fan to give Naobito air. After a few minutes, Naobito tried to sit up and caught his breath, and he had a little more color on his face than he did earlier. He coughed afterwards and it did not sound healthy at all, and every cough he lets out makes Toya flinch.

"F-Father..." He whispered and reached for Naobito's hand.

"How did this happen, Naobito?" I asked.

"It's nothing serious." He bluntly said. I sighed and frowned.

"What did Naoya do?" I asked. "Where is he?" Naobito kept on catching his breath until he spoke.

"Room. His room..." He said.

I stood up and reminded Toya to take care of Naobito. I walked on the corridor leading up to Naoya's room. I knocked.

"Are you there, Naoya?" I asked. When he didn't answer, I opened the door, and I found him wrapped around his blankets, his muffled sobs can be heard. I walked silently and sat down on the chair that was beside his bed. "Naoya?"

"L-Leave me alone..." He answered while sniffing.

"It's okay, you can talk to me." I said. Among everybody who's part of the clan, I was the only one who Naoya could talk to freely. He is comfortable being his cheery self whenever I was around the main house. Now that I thought about it, I wonder if that was the reason for today's incident.

After a few minutes of hesitation, Naoya slowly sat up and removed the blankets from his face, showing his tears scattered around his face with his nose in red color and messy hair. He looked at me for a second then looked down again.

"I-I didn't m-mean to..." He said then wiped his tears again.

"What happened, Naoya?"

He kept fidgeting with his hands. I suddenly remembered my little self with him. When I was young and made a mistake, Father will not  hesitate to use violence against me. My mother did nothing whenever it happens, except protect my older brother from the commotion, as if it was going to destroy his very bright future. Nobody treated me whenever I get wounds. The servants always looked scared whenever they walked past my room , none of them intended to enter. However, my uncle was the only one who cared. He's not very vocal with what he feels every time, but that's what's special about him. Everything is shown through actions and not just mere words. He's had a lot of fights and arguments with my Father because of the abuse I've been going through.

He's the only person that can make my Father shut his mouth. However, with my Father's authority as head of the clan, Naobito never had the power to stop him in full force. But despite all of that, I was still grateful to him.

I lacked love from my real father, and Naobito filled that lackness. He's the reason why I was still able to grow up with a father figure.

I looked at Naoya once again. This kid still haven't realized how he's gotten it so good. He has a caring father, and me, his older cousin. I felt like I have always been more of a big brother than an older cousin to him.

You have everything in the world, Naoya. Not everybody is fortunate to have a great father. My thoughts were cut off when he spoke.

"A-Am I being a monster, S-Sir Toji?" He asked. Tremendous worry came over me when I heard him say that.

"What makes you think that, Naoya?" I asked him. Tears fell onto his open palms. He was crying again.

"I-I don't want to be like them." He cried. "I-I pushed F-Father like he was... just a mere somebody."

I sighed and stood up. "Can I sit beside you?" I said. He scooted a little bit to the other side, then I climbed onto the bed and sat beside him. "Tell me everything."

I felt him relaxing his body onto my arm so I held his shoulder, then he talked about how it felt so miserable in the main house. He said that he felt like he was also being heartless like the others since he became a little colder while being with them.

"E-Ever since you left the main house, I never smiled again in that house! Nobody wanted to play with me, e-even Mother!" He said. I smiled and messed up his hair. "Stop doing that! You're just like Toya and Takeru."

I chuckled. "I'm sorry if I had to move out so sudden."

"I understand. Even if I was an adult right now, that will be my first bit decision. It will make me happy." He said. I smiled a little. At such a young age, he had a strong resent against the family. I had it much worse, but he's so lucky to be able to mature this quickly unlike me. That was our main difference. Naoya had people to help him and be with him in times like this, and I didn't, except for my wife. I patted his head and he just sat comfortably beside me. Naoya was always a baby cousin for me, but in times like this, he's like my son as well. I smiled.

Suddenly, my phone rang. When I saw Takeru's calling ID on the screen, nervousness hit me. I quickly answered it. "What's the problem?"

"Honey!"

"Yumiko? What's wrong?" I was surprised to hear her voice on the other line.

"I'm pregnant!"

Those words kept ringing on my ears. It took so long for me to understand what was going on until the euphoric feeling took over me.

I'm going to be a father...

"S-Sir Toji? What's wrong?" Naoya said.

I looked at him with a smile. "Nothing, don't worry about it." I said. I stood up and looked at him. "But I have something to say."

I looked back at him with the biggest smile I've had my whole life.

"You're going to have a playmate soon."