Dangerous Lines | Yuzuru Hanyu

70. Family

As nervous as both of them had been about this time, it seemed like it was all in vain.

From the moment that both Hidetoshi and Yumi met the girl he hoped to eventually call his wife, they seemed as smitten as he was.

It was also clear that more than Yaeko, their grandson had a very clear hold on them.

Haruki made himself known when he started crying once again, making Yuzu groan to a very entertained Yumi.

"That bad?"

"He struggles sometimes, we still don't know why"

Yumi stepped into action right away, moving in the direction of the cries to find the little baby in the crib.

Maybe it was the experience, but she instantly noted how his breathing seemed a bit harder, she even noted a bit of wheezing as she picked him up.

"He sounds just like Yuzu did when he was a baby... But he is still very small to have symptoms"

Both parents were caught by surprise by what she said, Yaeko panicking right away with the uncertainty of what the woman meant.

"What? What do you mean? Did I miss anything?"

Yae felt like a terrible mother at that moment. She should have been able to see and note every problem her baby could have.

"I just think my son might have contributed with the part of his genes that you would prefer to avoid. Your baby might have asthma."

It was inevitable not to panic, but looking at Yumi and seeing her so relaxed felt weird.

"I... Should we go to a doctor?"

"Don't feel bad. I only ever noticed with Yuzu because I had my daughter first. In the first months, I always thought he was fussy but as he got older I noted how he struggled to breathe. It's easier once they can speak and tell you what's going on. If the wheezing gets worse, you should see a doctor, otherwise, just keep a close watch."

The relief provided wasn't much but when Yuzu placed his hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek, she finally relaxed.

"We're both doing our best."

He said it almost silently but Yumi still heard it.

"And no one said you have to do this alone. We will be here for you when you want us."

For someone so used to dealing with everything on her own, Yaeko would struggle to get used to all of it. Even still, it was very easy to tell that no matter what happened, Yuzuru's parents weren't the monsters she once imagined.

Not everyone was her father.

The truth was that Yumi had been right.

Haruki was diagnosed with asthma at 6 months old. The doctors had explained that with Yuzuru's history of bad asthma and the fact that the baby had been born premature, he had the unfortunate characteristics of struggling with the disease.

Once he was properly medicated, the boy became an angel to deal with.

When it came to the first months of their time back in Japan, everything was a bit weird.

Agent Miura kept in contact, eventually having a deep conversation with Yae about the true reasons behind his motivation. She could see it in his eyes just how much it pained him to speak of his family.

Yaeko made sure to invite him to their home often, providing something other than pain to the agent who had made her new life possible.

It didn't seem fair that a man so dedicated to helping people was a victim of her past husband's antics. It was just yet another evidence of how important it was to get that man behind bars.

The suffering under that man's hands would have all been in vain if Yaeko hadn't suffered as well. It was easy to understand why the agent had been by her side for so long and realize why he was so dedicated to the case.

Truthfully, had she been in his shoes, Yaeko would have probably found a way to just kill the man herself.

"You know we will always be here for you, right?" Yae had told him with a smile on her face. "You don't have to be alone all the time."

It might have been weird but she found this man to be the only father figure she needed in her life and treating him as such seemed quite natural.

It didn't take that long until he was spending a lot of his time in their home, watching Haruki grow as well.

Everyone in that household needed this, the happy mood and stress-free life that they had been craving for so long.

The agent would even go as far as watching the baby for them when certain things required it.

For one, when they wanted some couple time and didn't want to bother Yuzu's parents.

He was also invited to their family dinners with the Hanyus.

It wasn't hard to understand that he was now part of the family too and both Yae and Yuzu just wanted to give him a small bit of the happiness he provided for them.
Even with Yumi and Hidetoshi, Yae quickly found that they were just as good as you would expect from the people who raised the man she loved.

Even if trust didn't come easily to her, Yae was finding that these people were all part of her life now and she couldn't be more loved.

There was a light at the end of the tunnel, after all.