The One That Got Away || K. Tsukishima

tweleve

"Papa, do you think we should get mama something?" The young blond asks as he freely walks into the toy aisle with his eyes in search of a dinosaur plushie.

Keiko has barely half the mind to even be well aware that the faint clack of his father's expensive work shoes are gone up until he turns around after quite a significant amount of time. And to his horror, there is no familiar lanky blond towering in-front of him as it supposedly would.

"Papa?" Keiko anxiously calls, in hopes that his father is just in the round about looking at something he would like. But it quickly dawns upon him that his father is no where near the line of his five senses. And that information, quickly sends all the red signals in his little head blaringy

'Whe- where's papa?' He swallows his words as his sapphire eyes frantically search for his father up, down, left, and right, practically every direction known to man. As he heaves a shaky breath and realizes that he sees no trace of his father, he bites on his lower lip and moves on his heel to run to another aisle to search.

But before his own body could move, he suddenly remembers what you had told him before.

—

"Keiko." You call your sweet son as he lays on the empty mattress of the bed whilst playing with his little dinosaurs.

He quickly looks up at you when he hears your voice and eyes you expectantly."Yes mama?" He answers and averts his attention.

"What do you think you should do if you lost me in the store?" You ask him out of the blue. Conflict shows on his face as he furrows his brows. He did not think that you would ask that question, however he does not ponder upon that and quickly starts thinking of a proper answer to your sudden question.

He thinks hard for a good minute or two before he looks back at you and bites on his lip with what seems to be an answer in mind. "Look for you and asks people around...?" He says, but with hesitation in his voice and actions as he looks away.

You hum, satisfied with his answer. "The might be right. But there's better solution to that." There, begin your word and he purses his lips with eagerness in his eyes. 
He raises his brows with wide eyes, ears seemingly moving without his knowledge, showing a sigh of willingness.

You can't help but chuckle, moving your hand and placing it on top of his hair as you card your fingers through his blond locks.

"If you ever lost me or whoever you were with in the mall.."

—

"You wait for a couple of minutes until they come back. If not, walk to the nearest store employee and avoid talking to someone who isn't an employee." Keiko repeats your words like an affirmation as he lets out a shaky breath.

There's an anxious and quivering sigh that leaves past his lips as he thinks of the millions of possibilities that can happen. Some of those possibilities being positive, and the others being quite the opposite. Too many thoughts go around his head and he finds it hard to focus. He doesn't want this to happen in his first time bonding with his father. So he tries to think positive rather than thinking too negatively.

'But what if i don't get found? What if someone else takes me? What if mama doesn't let papa see me after this? What if i get left here forever—'

However, his negative thoughts are quickly terminated when he hears that familiar voice cut through his loud damaging thoughts.

"Keiko— Keiko!" He hears a familiar panting voice call, and he's sure it's his father. Relief runs in his body as he watches and makes out the face of his father who runs to him.