The Equation of Hearts

√𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟺ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ

It wasn't as if every day was particularly stimulating for Kato. In fact, quite like his character, his job was rather mundane. There was never any danger for the family. For a family so famous and as wealthy as they were, they never seemed to be under threat of anything. No kidnappers, no robberies. Not even poor media. Kato felt he had entered an echelon of people he wouldn't be able to comprehend. He thought as he followed behind his mother and her husband. Both were talking and walking around a shopping centre. "Why are we here again, we could have gotten a carrier," Elena giggled and held onto her husband's arm. Kato felt sick.

"Ah, am I not allowed to feel 19 again?" Adonis replied lovingly and looked around. They certainly attracted attention, bright and social as they both were. And he was that hulking cloud of gloom behind them. He supposed the intimidation factor warded off passer-bys, as they walked down the tiled, white walkways around the shops.

"You certainly look like it," she cooed and played with one of his curls. He hummed and they walked into a shop. Kato elected to wait outside, where he could be free of their PDA. He was aware of the stares he got for his height.

He didn't think he would be getting stares by other means, as a group of children surrounded him. A group of them, siblings, a daycare trip to the shopping centre (if that was a thing) or just a team of children swarming him, he wasn't sure, but where were their carers? He looked around and saw them as their children climbed him. Cowering. Was parenthood in this timeline so frail? They seemed to make Adonis look like a real family guy. Some kids grabbed onto his arms and he watched them curiously and silently. He wasn't going to hurt them, he was sure of it.

He crouched down and felt their smaller hands wrap around his neck and shoulders,

"Wow, I didn't take you for a kids kind of person." Odele chortled at the sight of him, Kato hummed in acknowledgement.

"He looks like a superhero!" One of the kids exclaimed excitedly. Kato raised and carried some of the children with him. Cheers and cries for their turn echoing the still busy halls.

"Alright, careful," Odele chortled and crossed his arms while watching one of the kids reach for his blindfold. It was a moment of weakness for Odele to quickly pull the child away, "he's actually a scary monster." He tried to tell the children.

"What on Earth?" Adonis walked out with Elena in tow. Her lipstick was slightly smudged. The pair looked at him and began laughing, the only thing Kato stopped them from doing was getting a hold of his guns. "Alright alright," he chuckled as Elena took a picture - "you kids should go back to your parents," he suggested easily. The children obeyed like animatronics would, having Kato set them down and all of them returning to the parents they had all abandoned. A surreal moment for all four of them, though Kato didn't show it at all. He instead fixed himself and then apologised to the other three. Odele was on his phone and chortling,

"I don't think you have to be sorry for entertaining kids," he mentioned, "and entertaining us, you're being doted over by mum over there," he nodded to his mother and showed the messages on a group chat.

"Do you have a number?" Elena suddenly asked. How estranged, Kato felt to have his mother look at him so casually. He didn't respond. "So professional." She cooed to her husband who nodded.

"And a menace to wider society. What're you doing here, kid?" Adonis nodded to his son who showed a small post online of them. A forum on the family, asking about him.

"Came to see it for myself." He chortled, and he must have been close by, since the post was only made ten minutes prior. "Anyway, mum," he turned to Elena. Kato ignored the conversation and looked around, popping his wrist. He didn't want to think about how this boy he didn't recognise was calling the same woman mum. Maybe he was just possessive. "Did you hear that?" Odele tapped on Kato's bicep. He looked down and shook his head, "oh, you're staying with us now. We'll need you at night." He shrugged. Kato remained indifferent, humming and nodding as Odele clicked his tongue, "you know, you feel more like a doll to talk to. You don't change facial expressions, you don't react at all. You don't feel very human." He decided to talk to Kato while the couple walked up ahead. Though it felt more like talking at him. "Who's it from? Mum or dad?" He tilted his head. Elena turned back to see what the answer would be.