papa toji coming home to an exhausted and pregnant wife
wails escaped out of megumi's mouth, his chubby hands clenched around your dirtied magenta shirt as if letting go would physically hurt him. it was already 6:00 in the afternoon and your toddler couldn't go a few feet without your attention, something you thought you would have gotten used to.
it was obvious you didn't though; with your hair in what seemed to have been a ponytail before you gave up on tightening it, as well as the deep purple half-circles that rested under your eyelids. not only was it evident that you were exhausted, but there was also an obvious sign that this wasn't going to be the last toddler you dealt with.
a medium-sized bump protruded from your stomach region, your shirt only slightly covering it. you had been in your second pregnancy so far, clearly, and it seemed like dealing with a toddler was already hard enough. especially when the toddler was clingy and complaining of a stomachache. you dreaded what life would be like when the 2nd baby popped out, so instead you started thinking about when your good-for-nothing husband would return home from his outing.
you lied; he wasn't a good-for-nothing husband, you were actually shocked at how much he's stepped up over the years, but your moods and irritation couldn't allow you to care of what you called him. it wasn't like it made a difference, anyways, as all you cared about was getting a minute of sleep.
and speaking of the devil, you heard the keys jingle as someone tried to unlock the front door. you sat on the living room couch, your eyes widening with hope as you realized that maybe, just maybe, you could get the sleep you were oh-so hoping for. the door opened with a creak, pausing megumi's wailing for just a few seconds as he curiously wondered who opened the door, as your husband stepped into the living room.
he took one look at your disheveled appearance before he whistled, a grin evident on his face.
"you look like you haven't slept in days," toji commented with a sly tone in his voice, an eyebrow raised as he set his keys down on the counter. with your mood swings and clear annoyance with the world, you took his words as a insult. and it definitely got under your skin.
"i've been working my ass off taking care of our child-no, two of our children- all day and that's the first thing you say to me?" the words spilled out of you in an instance, basically the first sentence you uttered this whole day if not counting the attempts to soothe megumi. how could he say such a thing when you most likely weren't even getting any sleep?
"that the hormones talking?" toji responded in an almost insensitive matter, as if he wasn't taking anything as serious as it needed to be taken. it looked like he had somewhat of a rough day at his job, but today seemed like a relaxing day for him than most days. usually he came in with a few scars or blood trailing down his chin, but today he seemed fine.
"'m gonna take a shower." toji added on. he was already on the way to the bathroom, his fingers remaining on the hem of his shirt in preparation of taking it off, and that was when it felt like you were about to crumble into pieces. you knew your husband cared, he truly did, but the mixture of exhaustion and a variety of emotions, plus a toddler, made you feel as if he didn't.
"are you kidding me, toji?" you started, your voice raising as it seemed you were on the verge of crying yourself. "i've been waiting for you all day and..and i can't just keep sitting here while megumi is screeching in my ear, my favorite shirt is ruined, i jus-"
you were interrupted by shushing, your eyes blurry from the tears that were threatening to spill out but you were able to make up a form quickly going to you. the toddler that was next to you had somewhat quieted down, as if he understood your struggles, and made smaller babbling noises instead of cries. his hand was in his mouth instead of your shirt. you felt muscular arms wrap around your body, your senses picking up toji's scent, a mix of musk and cologne, as the tears had finally escaped your eyes. the salty wetness from your tear ducts had managed to spill out all the way, a sob escaping your lips before you had started to cry on his shoulder.
toji had never been much of an affectionate person. it seemed like he had some lingering trauma from his family and past, so hugging wasn't usually what he did. sure, you guys had moments of intimacy where it went way above the act of hugging, or often he'd rest his head on the soft mounds of your chest or your plump behind, but hugging was quite rare for a guy like him. he wouldn't hate a hug, he was just awkward about it.
but now, his arms were wrapped around you as an effort to console you, though his form was still very much awkward. he allowed you to stain his shirt for a few seconds longer before he pulled away, an evident look of worry in his eyes as he examined your face. his breath was hitched, almost as if he could feel his regret pour out of his lungs, but he did truly want to take back what he said.
toji wasn't much of a person to directly apologize either. the words "i'm sorry" almost never came out of his mouth, instead replaced by other affirmative words or showing that he loved you through various actions.
"go take a shower, i'll take care of the rascal." toji whispered, his lips slightly tugging upwards as he attempted an apologetic smile. his hand went up to your hair, patting it down before he planted a soft kiss on your lips. it lacked roughness or the desire of something more, it was a kiss that somehow made you feel a bit better.
an hour had passed and you were finally in your own bed. you had managed to take the most relaxing shower you had ever felt, and by 7:00 you already took care of the tasks that were waiting for you. you weren't sure what had happened with megumi and his hero of a father, but you had nothing in you to care. you weren't sure if it was selfish of you but... you knew you needed a break.
the voice interrupted your train of thought , causing you to look over at the doorframe. toji was standing with his arms crossed, a worried look in your eyes but a smile on his face. seemed like he was trying to conceal his true emotions with a cocky grin, but his eyes never lied. you nodded your head as a sign for him to come in, and he took the sign immediately. the large man only took a few steps before he reached the bed, already getting ready to sprawl out and attack you with a cuddle.
you yelped as toji almost jumped to your side, careful of your stomach, with his arm tucking under you. his hand went upwards to rest on your stomach softly, almost like he was scared that he'd ever lose what he had. he reached over with his other arm, taking your chin and making you look up at him. a pout was on your face, causing his eyebrows to scrunch up as if he was asking what was wrong.
"sorry for lashing out on you earlier. i was just so tired, i felt like i was going to collapse right then and there." you murmured under your breath, guilt creeping up your features as you looked back on the tiny moment of outburst you had. toji's features seemed to slightly soften, his mouth closed. it was moments like this that really made him think. how did he ever deserve a woman like you? he treated you horribly, and yet you were the one apologizing.
"don't say that, mama, i should be the one apologizin'." toji responded, his voice gruff as he trailed circles on your belly with his thumb. he truly felt guilty, knowing what you were going through, especially when he was never really there for you lately. he needed to work, he wanted to work, in order to provide for you and his family. a thought clicked in his mind, the idea forming.
"i'll take less missions, that way i can help out more." toji suggested, proud of his idea of aiding you in taking care of megumi. you were pregnant, he knew that, so why had he ever left you alone?
part of you wanted to be the good wife, the one to be strong and tell him that his job was to get money considering you were doing housework while taking care of megumi, yet part of you wanted the extra help. you had missed your husband, the same way megumi missed his father. you recalled a conversation you had with megumi, in the way a conversation could be with a toddler, where he had asked where daddy was all day.
"we'll talk about this later." you replied, a smile on your face as sleep started to take over. you were exhausted, and this position had made you fall into slumber way faster than it should have. you were smaller than toji, he was basically surrounding your whole body head to toe while his hands rested on you stomach. you snuggled the back of your head to his chest, causing toji to slightly falter in responding. you were so soft, and he was just.. some big brute capable of hurting everything around him. all he could do, all he knew he was capable of doing for now, was simply listen and continue rubbing your stomach.
and it was times like these, where he thought you had already dozed off, when you heard him quietly whisper "i love you" in your ear. you were still half-awake, and your face was warm as you smiled ear-to-ear at what you had heard.
a/n: my first work! ahh i hope this was at least a bit good, i tried my best proofreading it!
creds to @kodaswrld for the banner/header/ whatever its called