Blazin' hot and Raisin' Tots

The Meet

Honestly, being a single parent had it's ups and downs, like most things in life, of course. But most things in life didn't mean you had to apologise to an attractive neighbour, while carrying a two year old baby girl in a baby grow who seems to enjoy pulling at you hair, at five in the evening because your twin boys broke said neighbour's window while playing with ball outside in the front garden.

And that's actually where we begin our story of Makoto Tachibana and his three children. A story of how children can be right pains sometimes and maybe need to learn to apologise maybe a little more, and maybe realise that maybe their daddy wants to fall in love with the next door neighbour, because that would be really great for daddy, so kids, just let this one happen, okay? But, you know how kids are.

Anyway, back to the story at hand.

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It was a hot summers evening when Makoto heard glass shatter from outside and an array of different voices shouting.

It was a hot July evening when he heard his two boys, Himoru and Ryu, call for him to come outside. Makoto frowned for a moment but quickly hurried to the door, only stopping when he heard a little cry. He slowly turned in his heel to see his little girl, Ana, frowning at him, big green eyes slowly filling with tears, making grabby hands towards him. She didn't like being parted from her daddy for very long, you see, so Makoto had no choice but to bring her with him.

Makoto shook his head as he walked towards her, smiling down at her and lifting her from her banana covered high chair, kissing her soft blonde hair as he held her on his hip. The man then made his way back to the door, going out into the front garden, only to see one of his children crying and the other shouting at someone, shouting some nonsense about 'meanie pants' and something about a ball.

The head of the Tachibana family rushed over, kneeling down next to Ryu, who was sobbing into his balled up fists. The crying boy flung himself against Makoto's chest, whining something about how they didn't mean to and that he was sorry, through little hiccups and sobs that shook his shoulders and rattled his chest.

Makoto hugged the little boy with one arm and stroked his hair gently, telling him that it was okay and asking what they had actually done to cause the boy to cry. He only got a point and another sob against his chest. Makoto's large palm just kept rubbing the boy's back as he called for Himoru. The other little boy still hadn't stopped shouting, something about giving a ball back and someone being a 'meanie pants', thus confusing Makoto more about the situation at hand.

"Himoru, come here," Makoto called, but only frowned when the little boy didn't move, "now, please." He added, voice growing sterner as he spoke.

"But, daddy! That meanie won't give our ball back! It's our! Daddy, will you get the ball back?" Himoru shouted, rushing over to Makoto and bouncing on the balls of his feet slightly, eyes wide, fists clenched at his sides.

"Okay, okay, I'm confused. What exactly happened? Why is Ryu crying? And who won't give you the ball back?" Makoto asked, wincing slightly as Ana pulled on his hair slightly, giggling to herself then clapping, which made Ryu give a wobbly smile, tear tracks still visible on his face.

"Well! Me and Ryu were playing, like you said to do! So we were doing and then we maybe broke a window bu--"

"You broke a window? Who's window?"

"T- The new m- man next door.." Ryu answered, his voice quiet and shaky as he rubbed glistening tears off his face.

"Yeah! And now he won't give us the ball back! We said sorry like a bazillion times but he still won't give it us!"

"Himoru, by saying sorry, did you just shout at his house, or did you properly go over and apologise like I've told you to do if you ever break something that isn't yours?" Makoto asked calmly, glancing over at the house next door and frowning at the shattered window on the side of the house. It wasn't a large window, but it was still a big shatter for such little children to make.