a handsome man and his daughter at the park!
.ᐟ dad!nanami (+ little nobara) x mom!black!reader .ᐟ angst (mentions of abuse) .ᐟ fluff
SKYLAR HAD BEEN ASKING about the park for almost two days now, and how could you say ‘no’ to your baby any longer?
you expected that excited cheer from the seven-year-old when you finally told her you’d be going. her micro-locs bouncing with her enthusiasm as she continued to chew on an after-school snack consisting of peanut butter crackers. she scrambled out of her seat to wrap her arms around your waist in a tight hug.
“you’re the best mommy ever!” she exclaimed. you playfully rolled your eyes as you hugged her back with an amused huff. “thank you, pook, but it’s just the park.”
as soon as you stopped the car, she unbuckled her seatbelt and made her way out the door, car-seat damn near flipping over in her haste to get to the playground.
“jesus, sky! please relax.” you huffed out as you looked over your shoulder at the girl. she had no time to giggle out an apology, too focused on getting her shoes to the mulch of the decent-sized play area.
you couldn’t help the smile that graced your face as you grabbed your purse from the passenger seat. you had packed her metal water bottle and extra snacks just in case—because you were always prepared when it came to her. the mini first aid kit was also tucked away, full of the hello kitty band-aids skylar seemed to obsess over at the moment.
the pace at which you were moving was exactly why she had rushed out of your vehicle. she loved you so much, but you moved so slow sometimes. at least way slower than what her young brain felt you needed to.
but that wasn’t important right now. she was finally at the park!
her small feet guided her over to the swings first. the park was moderately packed for a wednesday, which meant the they were fairly free for her to use. she dived belly first into one, letting it swing her forward with a little squeal.
you watched in amusement as you finally made your way to the actual park area. there was a metal blue bench facing the playground and you could see her clearly. in a more closed space, you’d opt for reading a book or maybe doing some work on your phone, but this was way too open. way too easy for your sweet girl to make a wrong move and be snatched up.
so you simply watched her play.
it always made your heart swell to see her so happy and imaginative. sometimes you worried that she felt lonely as an only child.
but after dealing with her father, you had vowed to never bring another one with his last name into this world.
that was before the divorce. before you had opened your eyes to the man you had once called yours and realized the love you thought you deserved wasn’t something you wanted your baby girl to see. to think she also deserved it when the time came to love someone of her own.
sometimes you felt ashamed that it took you that long to leave him. that it wasn’t the first time he put his hands on you while you were only boyfriend and girlfriend that opened your eyes and made you save yourself. that it wasn’t that week after you said your vows and he choked you so hard, you felt your life flash before your eyes that woke you up.
that it wasn’t when he cheated on you with a coworker while you were five months pregnant.
no, it was when he had beat you in front of your baby.
you’ll never forget the horror in her little brown eyes as she watched her father throw you to the ground. the way her brain tried to process what she was witnessing at such a young age—understanding it was not right, but not fully comprehending just how bad it was.
you hated yourself everyday for not leaving earlier. even after all these years. even after starting therapy—for both you and skylar—and a restraining order and moving to a different city and doing better for yourself.
it was why you were still single now, only opting for a hook-up every now and then just to scratch the itch for human touch. he had ruined the real thing for you—as much as your therapist hated to hear you say over and over.
when your nose started to burn, you came back to reality. you blinked away the tears that threatened to spill over your lashes and took a deep breath. now was not the time to be deep in thought about your past. skylar was happy and that was all that mattered at the moment.
you were also in public, for crying out loud!
your eyes focused on your mini-me again and they widened a bit to see a little girl in front of her. she was animatedly talking to your daughter before they both ran off the the heart of the playground to climb onto the large play set together.
a small smile graced your face at the sight. it was usually easy for sky to make friends—the opposite of you, honestly. she was so bubbly and bright in comparison that your mother always playfully joked about wether or not you birthed the little girl. though the matching face was more than enough proof. as well as the hair, your micro-locs with more years of growth in comparison.
you were just grateful she didn’t look like her father.
but that wasn’t important. he wasn’t important, and you would not let that man ruin this moment for you too.
your eyes followed the duo as they happily ran around the playground together, bright laughs mixing with the other children around. you suddenly felt inspired, unlocking your phone to write a little bit of something just for you to keep.
what an inspiring little girl, you thought as you steadily typed away, making sure to glance up every once and a while to check that she and her new friend were doing okay.
you didn’t truly look up until you suddenly felt a presence beside you. your eyes shifted over to see a man now sitting on the bench. his hair was tousled a bit with glasses perched over his broad nose. he was dressed in a plaid button up with the sleeves rolled up a bit on his forearms, dark blue jeans over his long legs and some easy suede leather clogs on his feet. though it was only his side profile you saw, you could tell he was a looker.
and don’t even get you started on the cologne he was wearing. you could smell it so vividly, you were sure that was what really made you notice his presence. you thanked the spring breeze for blowing more of that scent your way.
he had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked toward the playground at the children playing, and you wondered which baby belonged to him. your eyes widened a bit when his head turned toward you and you met his hazel ones.
you politely nodded at him in a fit to hide how you were a bit flustered to be caught staring. he respectfully nodded back to you, before turning his head toward the playground again.
then skylar’s voice pulled your attention away, your head swiveling to her direction as you watched her approach you—the new friend in tow behind her. her micro-locs were up in two ponytails that flopped with each of her steps, five years of length shown off. you had her change from her school uniform to a black jogging suit you wouldn’t mind her dirtying up at the park. it was slightly baggy on her frame with stylish little sneakers to match.
your brows lifted when the girls were closer and you assessed them both for any injuries as you spoke. “what’s wrong? you okay?”
skylar nodded and then pointed to the little girl beside her that she had been playing with. she had the cutest short hair you had ever seen—a few strands of her bangs clipped to the side with a two piece yellow plaid set on her frame to match it’s color. you loved the way her top ruffled out at the buttom, and you’d definitely have to ask her parents where they got the outfit so you could buy it for sky.
“mommy, this is my new friend! her name is nobara.”
your eyes gleamed kindly as you looked at the little girl, smiling at her. “hi, nobara.”
nobara gave you an almost toothy grin in response. “hi,” she replied in return, stepping a bit closer to you and waving enthusiastically.
you saw her little manicure and nearly cooed—it was the same color as sky’s, a sparkly pink. you hoped they bonded over that as they played. it was such an adorable coincidence.
“i’m sky’s new friend!” she repeated.
you giggled at her energy. it definitely wasn’t a shock that she and sky got along. “i’m her mommy. it’s nice to meet you, sweetie.”
skylar beamed as she spoke again, turning to nobara. “she has snacks! do you want some?” your brows furrowed a bit as you looked between the two girls. now, you had no issues sharing with the new friend skylar had, but would her parents be okay with a stranger feeding their child? you’d rather get some form of permission before being hasty.
nobara nodded at her words and they both turned to you eagerly. “mhm! i love snacks.”
you placed a hand on top of your bag with said snacks and looked at the girls. “um… i would love to give you some, hun, but… where are your parents? would they be okay with us sharing?” you were suddenly concerned as you looked around the moderately packed park, ignoring how the blonde man with glasses that sat on the bench with you was staring between you and the little girls in front of you, or how his cologne made it’s way to your nose again.
nobara grinned and pointed a sparkly finger right at him. if your brows raised high when the girls approached you, they were even higher as you turned to look at the man.
“my daddy’s right there!” she spoke.
“oh…” came your reply as you continued to look at the man. goodness gracious, he was so handsome. “um… hi.” you greeted a bit awkwardly.
he nodded politely at you like he did earlier. “hi,” his voice was a bit gruff as his hazel eyes behind his frames darted to the bag you had a hand over. “i’m her father, nanami.”
you quietly gave him your name in return, “i’m this one’s mommy.” and pointed at your little twin.
he looked over at sky and nodded again as he recognized the similar features. his hand extended out to you to shake and you awkwardly slipped yours into his. it was a bit caloused, but warm nonetheless.
when you pulled your hand away, you looked up to his eyes again and spoke.
“you okay with me giving her some animal crackers and fruit? i don’t wanna just feed her without your permission.” you slipped your hand into the large bag to first pull out sky’s little water tumbler, handing the metal covered in flower stickers to your daughter so she could quench watever thirst developed while she was playing.
he, or, nanami looked you over as you spoke and his eyes softened at your question. he nodded, a ghost of a polite smile on his face as he looked at the two pink tupperware containers of snacks.
“i don’t mind. thank you for asking.”
you nodded in understanding as you passed sky both of them—who passed one to nobara. “oh, of course. i don’t wanna overstep with a baby that isn’t mine. i’d want a parent to ask for sky.”
he hummed in return as he watched his daughter open a container and grab a half of a strawberry to pop in her mouth. his hand patted the open space between you two as he spoke to her in such a soft and sweet tone you could have melted at the sight. “bring it over here.” he told her gently.
nobara complied and moved closer to set the tupperware container on the bench. he raised a brow at the little girl, then spoke a bit sternly. “and what do you say?”
she girl gasped a bit, suddenly embarrassed as she chewed on her strawberry. “sorry… thank you so much, skylar’s mommy!” her hazel eyes met yours as she expressed her gratitude. you smiled in return and shook your head. “no problem, eat as much as you want.”
you looked at sky as she placed. the tupperware container in her hand on the bench, leaning against you a bit as she continued to snack. “thank you, mommy!”
sky giggled when you playfully poked her belly. “you’re welcome, bug.”
your eyes trailed over to nanami as he took in the scene. his eyes were soft and there was amusement swirling in the hazel of them.
“you’re free to help yourself as well, if you want.” came your offer.
then his eyes met yours and he shook his head, pushing his glasses up a bit to fix them. “i’m alright, but thank you. i’ll let the girls enjoy it.”
you smiled at his words and grabbed a grape to eat, “your loss.” was your playful reply.
he chuckled this time, shocking you. a breeze came through again, pushing that scent of his cologne toward you. a loc blew right over your eye before you moved it away with a finger—a few left out from the high ponytail you had them in at the top of your head. his eyes stayed on you for a second longer before they were on his daughter. “nobara, are you cold?”
the little girl looked up from the tupperware she was politely sifting through. “no, i’m okay.”
you understood his concern, though, her yellow top was sleeveless over a simple white shirt to combat the weather a little bit. you realized then that she had on plaid just like her father did. how freaking adorable.
actually, speaking of that plaid. you tilted your head as you looked at nanami. “i don’t mean to be nosy, but, where did you get her set from? it’s too cute.”
his eyes widened a bit but he looked at you. “i’m pretty sure i got it online. i could find the website for you.”
you smiled at his words. “please?”
he nodded at you and slowly pulled his phone out, seemingly going to look for the site right now.
sky spoke up as she munched on a frosted animal cracker—how she convinced you to let her slip some in with the regular ones to take to the park? you still don’t know.
“mommy, are we leaving soon?”
you raised a brow at her as you grabbed a cracker of your own and took a small bite. “do you want to leave?” the aggressive shake of her head pulled a laugh out of you in return. “then why are you asking?”
“‘cause you have to edit.” she mumbled between a nibble of her snack. she said it in a matter-fact tone. like she knew her mommy had a job to do even while she prioritized her fun.
you smiled at your daughter and shook your own head. “don’t worry about that, pooks. mommy’s work is not important right now.”
another voice spoke up and you turned to meet those hazel eyes again. “you write?” he asked curiously. his brow was raised in interest as he fixed nobara’s hair clip that seemed to have loosened as she ate. the phone was in his other hand, but he seemed to have forgotten what he had it out for.
you tilted you head side to side as you looked away. “eh… kind of, but this is for work. i edit for a fashion magazine.” your eyes watched as his lips parted a bit and he nodded in understanding.
“i’m guessing it’s very tedious?” came that voice you were starting to like hearing.
you nodded with a proud smile. “absolutely. but i enjoy it. wouldn’t change my profession for anything.”
he nodded again as he finally fixed the clip, smoothing over his daughter’s hair with a gentle touch of his large hand. “well, that’s good to hear. i always admire people who love their jobs.”
you beamed at his words before you spoke again. “what do you do for work?”
“i’m a professor at hime university.” he answered as he leaned against the metal bench.
your eyes widened at his words. “oh, really? i ended up getting my master’s from there a few years ago! amazing program.” you pulled a loc from in front of your face again as you continued to look at him, a smile naturally on there as you mentioned an accomplishment.
he gave you a small one of his own at your words. “congradulations. i’ve heard our program is one of the better one’s out there.”
“thank you.” you smiled at him.
there was a bit of a silence between you two and before you could speak up again, your daughter was addressing nobara. “wanna go back and play?”
nobara was absolutely down with that idea and let out an excited. “yeah!”
you held a hand out to stop them both, “hold on–” reaching into your bag to pull out a small container of hand sanitizer. “i should have gave y’all some before you ate too, my bad.” the small cap opened with a little click and you squirted some into both their hands for them to rub in.
then you sent them off to go play again with a smile.
the soft sound of tupperware being stacked over the other caught your attention and you looked back over to nanami. the two containers were neatly placed a bit closer to you as he pulled away to set his hands in his lap and look toward where the girls were playing with some other kids they had seemed to hit it off with.
suddenly you were remembering your earlier conversation.
he turned his head toward you a bit, eyes still on the girls before they landed on your face. his glasses glinted in the light. “hm?”
you smiled in amusement as you spoke again while putting the tupperware back into your bag. “at hime, what do you teach?”
“ah, history. honors and the regular one.” he replied as the clasped his hands together in his lap.
“oh, okay. do you like it? teaching history in general, i mean.” you pushed, interested in hearing this handsome man speak more. especially if it was about something he was interested in.
he smiled at that question and kept those hazel eyes on you. “yeah. i’ve been interested since i was in elementary school. knew i wanted to do something with it when i got older.”
you nodded as you listened to him speak, catching the way his eyes gleamed as he spoke about his passion. it was beyond attractive. “have you been teaching a long time?”
he nodded as well, glancing back toward the park before responding. you looked as well to check on the girls as you listened. “i’d say since high school. i started off volunteering at the children’s museum in and i’d get little chances to teach something.”
you grinned at his words. “love that you include your volunteer time. that’s probably what really made you want to be a professor, huh?”
he chuckled and nodded. “my wife said that it’s a very important start in my career, so.”
your brows raised at his words, a little foul taste in your mouth as your smile tightened a smidge. damn, you should have known he was happily taken. “ah, you’re married?”
something shifted in eyes as he listened and his face suddenly became neutral. “i had been. my wife… passed away years ago.”
you gasped softly, eyes widening as you quickly spoke. “oh, i’m so sorry for your loss. i didn’t mean to–”
he shook his head. “no, it’s alright. you didn’t know.”
you were frowning as you looked at him, beyond embarrassed. your eyes were back on the playground as you checked on sky and nobara. the two were seemingly in a game of tag with the other children, playing happily as they all giggled and ran.
there was a silence between you and nanami, neither in a rush to break it. you didn’t know what to say after technically making him reveal that he was a widower on the metal park bench. you thought he’d prefer not talking anymore and instead enjoy the spring weather while he watched his daughter.
but then he spoke up. “they seem to have clicked immediately.” he was referring to your daughters and their bond.
you laughed and nodded, grateful he hadn’t decided to stop talking to you. “i thought the same thing when i first saw them playing. but, sky is a very bubbly girl. she loves meeting new people and making friends.”
nanami listened and you glanced at him—you couldn’t help it when he had a face like that. “nobara is the same. she’s very extroverted.”
you smiled. “sky is so opposite from me in that aspect. i’m like, a mix a both… but i feel like i lean more toward introvert. i’d rather be in my own company than deal with others unless i absolutely have to.”
he continued to watched to playground but you could tell he was still present in your conversation. “i’m strictly extroverted. nobara is the complete opposite of me.”
a laugh slipped passed your lips. one could easily tell. “yeah, that’s obvious.”
his eyes were on your face again at that, seeming to study it behind his glasses. “what… about your husband? is he extroverted, then?”
you stiffened at his words. just the mention of him made you sick. that man was not her father. “ex-husband, and i’d rather not speak about him.” was all you said, your own hands clasped together in your lap as you kept your gaze on the girls.
nanami seemed to pick up on the tension and said nothing more about it.
guess you both had pried a bit too much on the metal bench.
there was more silence between you two before his phone started to ring. he grabbed it from where he had placed it down after getting distracted and let out a sigh at the id.
you turned your head slightly to take a peek; however, he had already answered and put the device to his ear.
a bright voice was heard on the other end, though you could’t make out what was being said. you also weren’t that set on being nosy, so you turned your gaze to your own phone to look at the time.
it was getting a bit late and soon enough you’d have to leave. sky had did her homework before the park, but you still needed to figure out dinner. it was a school night as well, and as much as you try to be lenient, that little girl was something else when she didn’t get enough sleep.
there were also a few notifications you’d have to sift through later. some messages from family, emails, and reminders.
nanami seemed to finish his conversation, sighing again as he pulled the device from his ear.
you glanced back at him but said nothing. it was none of your business, no matter how much you wanted to know what was now troubling the handsome blonde.
he pocketed his phone as he stood up from the bench, pushing his glasses up on his face. “nobara!” he called out steadily to the playground, the little girl’s head twisting toward where you were sitting at the sound of her father.
he motioned for her to head over to him, and she did just that. a curious sky trailed behind her.
the two girls were back at the bench in no time as she looked up at her father with those matching eyes. “we have to go?” she asked a bit sadly to the man, already seeming to know what was going on.
he sighed again. “yeah. apparently your uncle satoru is bringing pizza and wants to watch a movie.”
nobara brightened immediately at the sound of that. “pizza?! i love pizza!”
the blonde man raised an amused eyebrow at his daughter. “and what about the movie and your uncle?”
but her mind was distracted by something else as she turned to sky in a hurry. “sky! do you have an ipad? i wanna call you.” she pouted.
your heart swelled. she wanted to see your baby again? were the vibes between the two that good that she was set on forming a real bond?
you smiled as you watched sky nod at the girl.
“she does. i can give you her email so you two can talk.” you told the little girl and her eyes lit up in excitement. she grabbed sky’s hand and squealed, causing your daughter to squeal as well.
you were still smiling as you turned to nanami in amusement, and he was equally as entertained. he pulled out his phone.
“what’s your number?” he asked politely, ready to type out the numbers on his keypad.
your heart stuttered as you gave it to him before you typed his number into your own. you both had agreed that you’d share the girl’s information later when safely home.
you grabbed your bag as you stood and glanced at your daughter. “guess we’ll say ‘bye’ and head out too, huh?” you asked the little girl and she pouted with a nod.
“bye-bye nobara…” sky mumbled sadly to the girl and squeezed her hand. nobara did the same and said her farewell. they gave each other the tightest hugs they could muster, and you snorted at the sight. knowing sky, she’d be calling that little girl tomorrow after she got home from school.
you felt eyes on you, and you looked up at nanami. he had a steady smile on his face about the dramatic little girls. you shook your head and playfully rolled your eyes.
“you two have a good rest of your night. it was nice meeting you.”
he nodded and the smile stayed on his handsome face. “you as well. get home safely.”
you grinned as the girls pulled away, holding out your hand for your seven-year-old to grab. “thank you! i’ll make sure to text you the info for her ipad so these two can talk as soon as possible,” then your eyes met nobara’s and you gave her a sweet smile. “enjoy the rest of your night, sweetie. you can call sky whenever, alright?”
you’d probably regret putting that in their heads, but that would be a problem for the future!
nobara’s hair bobbed as she nodded at your words with a new determination. “we’ll call everyday!” she declared, meeting eyes with her new friend.
“yeah!” sky hummed in agreement.
oh goodness, you were already regretting it.
nanami seemed to be as well, eyes dulling a bit at the idea.
but you were already—unfortunately—committed to sounding like a cool mom, so you simply nodded at the two girls and changed the subject. “well, let’s really get up out of here. i gotta figure out dinner…”
nanami nodded and held his own hand out for his daughter to take. “right. we should be leaving as well.”
the two girls pouted at each other again, but simply gripped their parents’ hands and waved the other goodbye. you giggled as you waved as well, knowing they’d be okay by the end of the night.
he smiled as he started to walk away with his mini-me, “drive safe.”
whatever you say, handsome, you thought immediately.
entered flow state writing this bcs i miss nanami so bad. dada come HOME!!!! also the second part to this will hopefully be posted later this week if school and some other tasks i need to do don’t stress me out
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