Ace of Fatherhood (Diamond no Ace Fanfic) (sequel to 'Irresponsible')

Chapter 6

Another week had passed since Ryousuke had returned with his younger brother in his care. Since then he had registered the child into the same preschool that Eijun was currently attending and also set up a room for him. Kuramochi had helped Ryousuke go shopping for clothes, a bed, and other things that Haruichi would need. Honestly, he could have just gotten all of Haruichi's things from their parent's house but he really couldn't be bothered with moving everything (even though he would have to deal with the house sooner or later). Besides, he wanted to do something nice for the three-year-old as Haruichi had been a little distant since moving to Tokyo.
He had been expecting it, for the past two weeks Haruichi had been waking up every night crying for his parents. Ryousuke knew the child was probably disappointed every time it was his older brother who came in to comfort him and that reality broke his heart. Of course, he was sad about his parents passing away but he couldn't focus on that right now. He just wanted Haruichi to be comfortable and happy. They had a long way to go as the wounds would remain fresh for quite some time but Ryousuke had hope things would start to look up with the more time that passed.

Presently, Ryousuke and Kuramochi were frantically leaving practice and heading to the boys' preschool. They had been in fielding practice when Rei had called for a time out, informing the two men that the preschool had called - something about Eijun getting into a fight and needing to be picked up immediately. No serious injuries had been reported but that didn't stop the fear from welling within the young father. Apparently, Haruichi had been involved somehow as well but Ryousuke just couldn't see the child getting physical under any circumstances but he was still concerned.

The two men were leaving the practice grounds after having changed into normal clothes, Ryousuke keeping pace with the panicking father who was practically running beside him. The second baseman reached out, hand clapping onto Kuramochi's shoulder which caused the younger man to slow down into a halt. The father whirled around, panicked expression melting away into confusion.

"Youichi... I know you're worried but you have to calm down," Kominato said softly.

Kuramochi's eyes glanced down at the hand still on his shoulder. "What if he's hurt, Ryousuke?"

The second baseman's features softened and he squeezed Youichi's shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sure he's just fine, they would have told Rei if he were injured."

The young father nodded, appearing unconvinced as the eager expression returned to his face. He reached up, grabbing onto Ryousuke's wrist gently as he turned back around, resuming his quick pace in the direction of the preschool. The shortstop kept hold of the older man for several strides before he finally released him. Of course, with his back turned he couldn't see the blush upon his fielding partner's face and for that Ryousuke was grateful.

The second baseman easily kept stride with his partner, suppressing his own nerves as they jogged to the school. The preschool wasn't far from the field and it would have been silly for them to wave down a cab when they could get there just as fast at a light jog. They arrived on the campus within minutes, Kuramochi sprinting forward and throwing the doors wide. The short-stop paused before he stormed in, remembering briefly that Ryousuke was with him as well. The brunette rubbed the back of his neck, holding the door open for his fielding partner as he caught up with him. The pink haired man smiled at the father, silently reassuring him that everything was alright.

"Sorry.." Kuramochi mumbled.

The older man shook his head, patting Youichi's back. "It's okay. I get it."

And he did. Having Haruichi in his full custody... he truly was beginning to understand. Of course, it was different for Kuramochi - Eijun was his actual son. He had raised the child from infancy and would continue to do so until he was old enough to no longer need his support. Haruichi, on the other hand, was just Ryousuke's younger brother whom he hadn't really grown up with, given the huge age gap. However, that didn't void the new responsibility that had been thrust upon him so suddenly. He felt the burden heavily upon his shoulders and deeply sympathized with his partner. Kuramochi had been barely seventeen when Eijun had been born - Kominato couldn't even fathom how the single father had managed. But he did. Kuramochi had managed to finish out his high school baseball career and become successful enough to be drafted into pro ball and raise a child. Did he have help? Sure, of course, he did. But, not nearly enough to be able to pull all of that off smoothly.