Incomplete [Chapter 19]

[Previous]

Koharu stared blankly at the clothing, sitting folded on her bed, and Katsuki couldn’t help but smile at her confusion, waiting patiently for her to find words.

“You got me a new uniform?” she asked, tentatively lifting a shirt only to find a matching one underneath.

“Two new uniforms, actually,” he said, smiling faintly. “I know you said they don’t get time to wash yours every day, at the Home. So I thought if you have extras, you won’t have to reuse them as much when they get dirty, and you can just bring them home on the weekend for me to wash.”

“I don’t have to tell them?”

“You caught me.” He grinned. “I didn’t tell them, so we can just keep it between us. I know they’d probably complain again, even though it seems silly to me to complain about you having clean clothes.”

“You’re the best,” Koharu said fondly.

“I just want to make your life a little more comfortable.” He shrugged, sitting down on the edge of her bed, and she leaned into him immediately. “Your caregivers must have a really hard time, keeping up with so many kids. Can you imagine how tough it would be to wash all those uniforms every day? It would never end. Not to mention how expensive it would be to get you all extras, that’s a lot of kids. But me and Izuku only have to worry about you and Yoshiki, so we can do whatever we want, as long as they don’t complain.”

“I know,” she nodded. “Thank you for listening when I tell you stuff.”

“Of course. I promise, I’ll always listen to you and help with anything I can. Clean clothes is a super simple one to help you with.”

“And food,” she added. “You always give us lots of good food.”

“Yeah, you’re still growing, I don’t want you to be hungry. Do you need more snacks yet? Did you eat them for breakfast like we talked about?”

“I did, they were yummy. I wrote some on the list.”

“Perfect. I’ll pick them up when I go shopping, then.”

Koharu paused, and Katsuki just waited, channelling every bit of his patience so he wouldn’t just demand she spit it out, like he did when Izuku got that way.

“Can I help?” she asked finally.

“Help me shop?”

“Yeah! I had fun last time.”

“Sure you can,” Katsuki assured her. “I normally go during the week, but we can go tomorrow instead, if you want. You can pick out some yummy things you want to try, and maybe we can choose a nice dinner to eat with Inko.”

“And Yokkun too?”

“He can come if he wants, otherwise we’ll pick out some stuff for him too, like last time.”

“Okay!”

“Sorted. Alright, this stuff is all washed, so why don’t you pack it into your suitcase for Monday? Then we can start making dinner. Izuku will be home soon, he’s always starving after work, and he’ll have to go pick up his mother a little later.”

“Yeah! I’ll help with dinner!”

“Awesome. I’m gonna go clean up the kitchen so we have room. Bring your laundry down when you’re done up here, okay?”

“I know! I always do!”

“Good girl.”

He left her to it, peeking in at Yoshiki on his way through. It had become part of their weekly routine, for him to come home from school and go straight to bed for a nap – poor kid never seemed to get enough sleep during the week, and lately he’d made a few comments about headaches too. He wished he could do something more to help, something as easy as spare uniforms – though of course he’d gotten those, too – but the kid was probably too young to just hand him a box of painkillers.

“Does Yoshiki take naps at the Home too?” he asked, when Koharu met up with him downstairs. “And get headaches?”

“His head always hurts,” she confirmed. “He thinks it’s because he’s tired lots. He can’t take naps, the little kids are noisy and the grown ups want him to do other stuff.”

“Has he been to a doctor? About the headaches?”

“His school doctor, I think. When she did the check ups. But she said tired made sense too, and maybe more water.”

“I wish I could do something, the poor kid. We’ll make sure he gets lots of sleep this weekend, and drinks lots of water, and we’ll see if his head still hurts on Monday morning.”

“It didn’t last week,” she told him, missing the way Katsuki’s eyes widened. “It usually hurts after school, not in the morning.”

“Oh yeah? Interesting. Thanks for telling me.”

“I hope he gets better soon.”

“Me too.”

They were just about finished cooking when the front door opened, and Koharu leapt up to go greet Izuku, slinging her arms around his neck and hugging him extra tight. He just grinned at her for it, hugging her back, and Katsuki smiled at them fondly when he carried her back through to the kitchen.

“Welcome home,” he said quietly, leaning over to kiss a warm, freckled cheek. “How was work?”

“Uneventful, just the way we like it. How was preschool, Koharu?” Izuku asked, hitching her up a little higher.

“Good! We drew lots of pictures, and Miss Oyazaki let me use the tablet computer to take photos!”

“The ones we saw on the app?” Katsuki asked.

“Yeah! I took them all by myself!”

“You’ve gotten really good with cameras,” Izuku grinned. “Kacchan picked a good hobby for you, huh?”

“Yeah! It’s lots of fun!”

“That’s good, maybe you’ll even be a photographer as a job when you’re grown up.”

“Like the man who took my flower photos?”

“Exactly! Kacchan’s parents like working with him a lot, but I bet they’d like working with you even more.”

“I could do that,” she agreed. “Or maybe do painting. Or writing. Or... Hmm.”

“You can do absolutely anything,” Katsuki reminded her. “Whatever job you decide you like the best, you can do it.”

“Except be a hero, ‘cos I don’t have a Quirk like you guys do.”

“Screw that,” Katsuki scowled. “If you want to be a hero, you’ll be the best damn hero there is. Quirk or no Quirk.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Izuku smiled, his eyes a little watery. “Someone always has to be the first, right? You might be the first one to be a hero with no Quirk, but I believe in you, so much, and I know you can do it if you really want to and you work really hard.”

“And that goes for any job,” Katsuki clarified. “Whatever it is, if you work hard, we know you can do it. And not just do it, but be the best at it.”

“Okay! I’ll work super hard then, when I choose one.”

“I know you will, you’re amazing.”

Izuku set her back down, and Katsuki reached for his hand wordlessly, squeezing it. He knew what was going through Izuku’s mind – it had taken a long time for him to admit that insecurity, and it had weighed heavy on both their hearts since. Izuku had only needed one person, one, who believed in him and told him he could do it. But Katsuki and the other kids at school had been assholes, his father had fucked off to god knows where, and his mother hadn’t been able to say the words he so desperately needed to hear. They would never let their kids feel the same way Izuku had.

“Is Yoshiki taking his nap?” Izuku asked finally, when they’d both swallowed all the emotion back down. “Poor guy always seems tired.”

“Will I be super tired when I start school too?”

“I don’t know, hun. Maybe; it’s a lot to adjust to. But it gets easier, over time.”

“And headaches too?”

“Headaches?”

“Yoshiki has one,” Katsuki clarified. “Apparently he gets them a lot, could be fatigue or dehydration.”

“Or vision.” Izuku pulled a face. “He squints a lot.”

“Oh,” Katsuki said dumbly, blinking at him. “That would... make sense.”

“We should take him to get checked out. Both of them, really, just in case. They probably aren’t old enough to have done it in school yet. Koharu, have you ever had the people come to preschool and test if you need glasses?”

“I don’t think so.”

“They usually put a poster on the wall and get you to read letters out, or numbers, or shapes. From a long way away.”

“I haven’t done that.”

“Okay, well, I think we should give it a try. Would that be okay? Maybe tomorrow, I can probably find someone who will slot us in.”

“I don’t mind! Can we still go shopping?”

“Yeah, maybe we’ll all go together on the way home after,” Katsuki suggested. “Then we can all pick out our yummy snacks, and maybe get dinner somewhere nice after, with Inko, instead of cooking.”

“Okay!”

“I’ll make some calls while you shower, Izuku,” Katsuki offered. “Then we can eat, it just needs some more time in the oven.”

“Sounds good! Thanks Kacchan, I’ll be back in ten! Take good care of him, Koharu.”

“I will!” she grinned. “Have a nice shower!”

“Thanks, sweetie!”

─────

The kids were already bathed and in their pyjamas by the time the car pulled into the driveway, a matching pair of excited voices floating into the house before they’d even finished locking up the car. Izuku carried a little bag with him when they stepped inside, just big enough for a couple of changes of clothes, and Katsuki made a mental note to ensure Inko could find everything else she might need, in the new house.

“We’re home!” Izuku said happily. He’d only been gone for like twenty minutes, but he still seemed so gleeful to be back. “Hi Kacchan!”

“Welcome home, nerd,” Katsuki said fondly – because okay, maybe he was a bit of a sap like that, too. “Hi Inko, welcome back.”

“Thank you, Katsuki! It looks even better than last time.”

“It’s a bit more lived-in,” Katsuki agreed, glancing around at shelves covered with trinkets and models and old merch collections, at a coffee table strewn with half-finished drawings, at blankets tossed haphazardly over couches, where they hadn’t quite made it back into storage. “I like it a lot.”

“Me too,” Inko said with a smile. “Are the kids in bed already?”

“No, they’re around somewhere,” Katsuki assured her, glancing toward the kitchen where Yoshiki had been filling his water bottle only minutes ago. “But come get settled in, anyway. We’ve set up the futon in the spare room, sorry it’s not the comfiest bed in the world; if it’s too bad you can use the couch instead, it’s a bit smaller but it’s comfortable.”

“I’m sure the futon will be just fine,” Inko assured him. “You don’t need to fuss over me, sweetie.”

Katsuki felt his face warm. Inko was the only one he let get away with the stupid pet names, since he couldn’t exactly yell at his mother-in-law about it. Occasionally he might let Izuku slip one in, on a special occasion, but usually he got a foot to the face for even considering it. Again, something he couldn’t exactly do to his mother-in-law, even if her face was easier to reach. Stupid nerd had gotten tall, over the years.

“We were talking about doing some shopping tomorrow, Koharu wants to come along but you’re welcome to hang out here if you want some relaxation time,” Izuku informed her, as he led the way to the spare room and set down her bag. “And I made an optometrist appointment, Yoshiki has been getting headaches so we thought it was important to get checked out. It’s not until four-thirty, but we thought we could all go out for dinner after, just somewhere casual.”

“That sounds nice!”

“Other than that, we don’t have any plans, so we’ll probably just have a quiet morning. Yoshiki is like Kacchan, he runs out of social battery and needs to recharge at home. Koharu can go for hours though, given the chance.”

“Maybe I can do something fun with her in the morning, let you boys have a break,” Inko suggested. “If she wants to.”

“I want to!” Koharu said brightly, as she bounced down the stairs. “Hello!”

“Hi there, Koharu! It’s so nice to finally meet you in person.”

“You as well!”

She glanced at Katsuki, and he barely managed to stifle a laugh, nodding slightly.

“Yeah, family is okay,” he assured her.

Grinning, she held her arms out, and Inko got misty-eyed as she accepted, absorbing Koharu into a tight hug. She probably didn’t get enough of those, these days, with Izuku living so far away – Katsuki still felt a little guilty about dragging him so far from home. They could have started a new agency, moved it somewhere else, but Katsuki had already begun to establish it by the time Izuku had agreed to join him, and Izuku had insisted it didn’t matter, that it was better to just keep building on something that was already working, rather than get caught up in who did what.

“Kacchan tells me not to hug everybody I meet,” Koharu explained, when they parted.

“He’s a smart boy! I’ll give you hugs any time you want, though.”

“Yay! I love hugs. Izuku is the best hugger, I think he learned from you.”

Inko’s lips trembled, valiantly holding back her tears, and when Katsuki glanced over, he saw equally watery eyes on Izuku’s face, too. The damn saps.

“You can do lots of hugging tomorrow,” Katsuki assured Koharu, picking her up and slinging her over a shoulder. “Tonight, it’s your bedtime.”

“You said I could stay up and meet my new Grandma!”

“And you did,” Katsuki pointed out, hoping Koharu didn’t notice the way Inko was immediately blubbering into her sleeve, angling her away as he carted her back to the stairs. “Now it’s time to get in bed. If you brush your teeth and get into bed nice and quick, maybe she can read you your bedtime story tonight.”

“Okay! And you’re gonna come do my hair, right?”

“I bet she could do that, too,” Katsuki suggested, glancing over to where Inko was wiping her eyes on her sleeve, trying her best to compose herself. “You know how to braid hair, Inko?”

“Of course,” she said, swallowing hard to keep her voice steady. “I’d be happy to help, if you want, but it’s okay if you want Katsuki.”

“You can try,” Koharu said, a little shyly. “My hair is hard though.”

“It’s not,” Katsuki reminded her. “We’re just learning together.”

“I’m sure I can do it,” Inko said confidently. “Mitsuki was telling me all about your beautiful curls, the other day.”

Koharu was beaming, when Katsuki set her down on the stairs finally, and he smiled back softly as he gave her a little nudge.

“Teeth,” he reminded her softly. “Give Inko a few minutes to settle in.”

“I’ll wait!” she promised. “Thank you!”

She scurried off up the stairs, and Katsuki looked back Inko’s way, his little smile going with him. She was trying so hard to keep it together, to not scare the kids off, and Katsuki found it oddly admirable.

“Hello,” Yoshiki said quietly, finally summoning enough bravery to peek out from the kitchen. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too, Yoshiki!” Inko said brightly, her tears thankfully forgotten. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“S’okay,” he assured her, holding up his orange water bottle. “I was getting my water.”

“That’s a great bottle, I haven’t seen that one before.”

“It’s new,” Katsuki explained, when Yoshiki just blushed a little, silent. “He prefers bottles over cups, so I thought it might help him drink enough water.”

“I fill it two times every day,” Yoshiki said quietly, his fingertips running across the spiky little edges on the lid, that matched Katsuki’s mask design. “I like it.”

“That’s great, Yoshiki. It was always a struggle to make Izuku drink enough water, I should have gotten him an All Might bottle so he would remember to carry it with him.”

“It’s still a struggle,” Katsuki snorted. “He drinks sugary shit all the time.”

“It’s better than nothing!” Izuku protested. “Would you rather I be dehydrated?”

“I’d rather you be an adult.”

“Rude!”

“Maybe he still needs an All Might bottle,” Yoshiki suggested, cracking a teasing little smile that Katsuki couldn’t help but return. “I’m meant to go to bed now, but it was nice to meet you properly.”

“You too, Yoshiki! I’m so glad to be here, so I can get to know you.”

“Me too.”

He scurried off up the stairs, and Katsuki smiled softly at his back, watching him go.

“I’ll be up soon,” he called after him. “To tell you a story.”

Yoshiki didn’t answer, but he shot Katsuki a shy smile over his shoulder, and that was just as good.

“He likes to read, so we read during the evenings a lot,” Izuku explained quietly. “But when he goes to bed, Kacchan tells him hero stories.”

“I bet he loves that,” Inko said fondly. “Are you running out of good ones yet?”

“I borrow them from people,” Katsuki admitted, his face warm. “My colleagues and shit.”

“He’s got years of material stored away,” Izuku laughed. “We haven’t told our friends yet, but when we do, I’m sure they’ll text him all their best stories to add to the collection.”

“Do you think you’ll tell them soon?”

Izuku and Katsuki exchanged a glance, and Inko quickly began to apologise, though Izuku cut her off in a hurry.

“We want to,” he explained. “But you know what our friends are like, they’re all gonna be trying to run over here and bombard them with love and affection. Which is super sweet, of course, but way too much right now.”

“We figured we’d see how things go the next couple of weekends, with you and with my parents,” Katsuki added. “After that, maybe we’ll make a little video to send to the group, or we’ll just send a couple of photos and explain. Hopefully they’ll be respectful and shit, but I doubt it.”

“I’m sure they will!” Inko objected. “They’re such lovely people; if they know the reason, I’m sure they’ll do the right thing.”

“I hope so,” Izuku sighed. “I think most of them will be great. There’s just... always someone, you know? Always someone who gets carried away or something.”

“Isn’t that usually Katsuki?” Inko asked.

“Oi,” Katsuki huffed, despite Izuku’s bright laughter. “Cut that out, you’re turning into your son.”

“Oh sweetie, he got it from me.”

“It’s just too easy,” Izuku teased. “You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed.”

“Shut up, nerd. I’m going upstairs to put our kids to bed, you can follow or don’t, whatever.”

Izuku hooked his elbow through Katsuki’s, linking them together, and some of Katsuki’s indignance faded immediately. His husband had such a stupid pacifying effect on him, and he really hated that he couldn’t make himself hate it.

“Ready for bed?” Katsuki asked, when he looked in Koharu’s doorway. “Teeth brushed?”

“Teeth brushed!” she confirmed, hopping up onto her bed and bouncing lightly. “Just need hair and hugs!”

“I’m sure we can handle that.”

Inko headed in to join her, so Katsuki left them to get settled, heading next door to Yoshiki’s room instead. He was already sliding into bed, giving his blankets a tug, when Katsuki knocked lightly on the open door. When Yoshiki smiled at him nervously, he took it as permission to go in, helping get the tangled blankets into some sense of order over his lap.

“How was your day?” he asked, a little awkwardly, as he sat down beside the bed. “I didn’t get a chance to ask, earlier.”

“It was okay,” Yoshiki said, just as awkwardly. “I had school.”

“Not a fan?” Katsuki asked knowingly, getting a head shake in return. “That sucks. I was one of the weirdos who liked school, so I cant help you there, unfortunately.”

“Why did you like it? Seeing your friends?”

“I didn’t have many friends,” Katsuki admitted. “Not until high school.”

“Oh.”

“There were always a few people following me around or whatever, but no one I really talked to. I got all stuck in my own head about not showing weakness, so I never really opened up to anyone to become friends and stuff. But I loved learning new things; I still do. I was a good student, so I never had to stress about tests and things, I just got to learn.”

“I’m not good at learning things.”

“Maybe you just need a little help,” Katsuki suggested. “You do great at your homework, when Deku helps you. Your life is... pretty complicated, right? So it’s understandable that it might not come easy to you, you might need someone who can teach you how to learn things.”

Yoshiki hesitated, and in a moment of weakness, Katsuki reached out, smoothing out a wrinkle in the back of Yoshiki’s pyjamas.

“I’ll always help, if you want it,” he offered. “You’ll probably need to tell me, I’m not good at subtlety and that kind of thing, that’s Izuku’s department. I don’t want to over-step, push you too hard and stuff, so I probably won’t offer as much as I should. But if you ever ask me, or even just tell me, I promise I’ll always be there. You don’t have to worry about me saying no. Okay?”

“Okay,” Yoshiki agreed, smiling softly. “Thank you. I’ll tell you.”

“Thanks, bud. Alright, you lie down and get comfy, I’ve got a good one for you today.”

Yoshiki slid down under his covers, getting snuggled in with his hippos, and Katsuki leaned back against the bedside table lightly, getting himself comfortable too.

“This one is from high school, so a looooong time ago, at this point. One of my friends reminded me, the other day.”

“Which friend?”

“Uh... Maybe friend was the wrong word.”

“Shouto?” Yoshiki asked knowingly, hiding his smile under the blankets.

“Shut up,” Katsuki huffed, though even he knew there was no bite in it. “Yeah.”

“You seem close to him.”

“Don’t push your luck, kid.”

Yoshiki laughed, and Katsuki was pretty sure his heart grew lighter just by hearing it.

“So there was this creepy cult who wanted to kill everyone with a quirk, and because of our work studies positions, me and a bunch of my classmates got to help take them down. Our class got split up all across the world to try to disarm the bombs or get them away from civilians.”

“When you were still a student?”

“When I was still a first year,” Katsuki grumbled. “U.A. wasn’t exactly known for protecting their students. They’ve gotten better, these days, after the controversy me and my classmates caused.”

“That must have been scary.”

“Sometimes,” Katsuki admitted. “It started to feel normal, back then, but looking back it was pretty awful that it happened to us. I was way too young for half the shit I had to see or do.”

“So where did you go?”

“Me, Deku, and Shouto all got sent to this little island where their main base was hidden. Deku was chasing a villain, and the villain was causing a lot of harm to people and the city, but the police were part of the cult too, and they labelled Deku a murderer. I still have one of his wanted posters, somewhere, that I make fun of him with occasionally.”

“He didn’t really murder anyone, though, right? He wouldn’t.”

“Of course not,” Katsuki assured him. “We only fight villains, and even then, we do our best to put them in jail rather than hurt them.”

“But the police said he did, to get him in trouble.”

“Exactly. So he had to go on the run with a friend he made, and I was stuck back at our base, unable to be there with him and help him. It was infuriating. Shouto says it’s still the most short-tempered he’s ever seen me, when I couldn’t do anything. But eventually he got in touch with us, and Shouto and I were able to go and meet them. Just in time, too, because they were being attacked when we arrived, but we managed to jump in and save their asses, like always.”

Yoshiki smiled again, but Katsuki pretended not to notice the twitching on the blankets that gave it away.

“We managed to get to their base, but of course they had other villains protecting the place, so we sent Deku off ahead to find the leader, while Shouto and I took down the assholes. By the time we caught up, Deku and his little buddy had managed to take down the leader, and they disarmed all the bombs.”

“Wow.”

“I fought against these creepy twins with metal tail things, they were determined to impale me with that shit. And since there were two of them, they kept trying to corner me, get me blocked in from both sides.”

“Did you get hurt?”

“A little. They managed to get a few good hits on me, so I was pretty bloodied up, and one of my eyes wasn’t working great, but I’m used to that sort of thing.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” Yoshiki said, shuddering. “I couldn’t.”

“You don’t need to. I protect people so that you don’t get hurt like that.”

Yoshiki nodded slightly, and Katsuki patted his side lightly through the blankets, hoping it came across comforting.

“I managed to get them up against a wall, then used all my firepower in a last howitzer impact to really drive it in. They destroyed half my costume, though, including my gauntlets. I was pissed.”

Quiet footsteps told Katsuki that Izuku was on his way to check on them, so with a little smirk, Katsuki spoke again.

“And that’s the story of how your Papa became wanted for mass murder.”

“Kacchan!” Izuku protested, despite Katsuki’s and Yoshiki’s laughter. “Don’t tell him that!”

“I want to see the poster,” Yoshiki said, making Izuku groan. “Was it a good photo?”

“It was a hilarious photo,” Katsuki answered for him. “They used his ID picture, so he was all clean costume and fluffy hair and chubby cheeks. There are absolutely photos around that would make it look believable, but that one was not it.”

“There are not photos of me looking like a villain!”

“I could search your name online right now and find at least three in the first ten seconds.”

“You’re so mean to your husband,” Izuku complained, kicking him lightly as he joined the pair. “I promise, Yoshiki, I didn’t do anything bad.”

“I know,” Yoshiki assured him. “He told me.”

“Good,” Izuku sighed, glaring at Katsuki all the same. “Did he tell you how jealous he got?”

“Jealous? Of what?”

“Alright, time for bed!” Katsuki announced, wrapping a hand around Izuku’s mouth. “No more stories!”

“Of the new friend?” Yoshiki asked knowingly – damn the perceptive child.

“Yeah!” Izuku agreed, squirming free and managing to jam Katsuki’s arms down too low to stop him. “He’s a pilot now, isn’t that cool? But Kacchan was so jealous, especially when he saw us hug.”

“You’re not meant to hug other men!” Katsuki objected.

“We weren’t even dating yet! And he was just a friend!”

“Damn right he was.”

“You’re so possessive,” Izuku laughed, slinging an arm around Katsuki’s waist and dragging him into a proper hug, this time, instead of just restraining him. “You won, Kacchan, its okay.”

“Hell yeah I did.”

“Cheesy,” Izuku teased. “Did you finish your story?”

“Yeah,” Katsuki admitted. “You’ll have to tell him your side, though, one day.”

“Another day,” Izuku promised, when Yoshiki’s eyes darted to him. “For now, it’s past your bedtime.”

“Okay,” Yoshiki conceded. “Don’t forget, okay?”

“I won’t, I promise. If you think I’ve forgotten, you’re allowed to remind me.”

“Alright,” Yoshiki agreed, apparently satisfied. “Um, thanks. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Yoshiki!” Izuku replied, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder fondly. “I hope you sleep well.”

When Izuku moved away, Katsuki took his place, pausing before he laid his hand on Yoshiki’s head lightly.

“Goodnight, buddy,” he said softly. “Call me if you need anything.”

Yoshiki blinked up at him, but then he was gone, flicking off the light switch in the doorway so only the dim orange glow of his nightlight remained.

In the next room, Koharu was all snuggled in as well, her hair braided much more neatly than Katsuki ever managed it – he was gonna have to get some tips from Inko before she went back home again. She smiled up at them when they arrived, and Inko shuffled aside, making room for Katsuki to step in for the last bedtime hug.

“Sweet dreams,” Inko said, as she headed out into the hallway. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Thank you Grandma,” she said sleepily, sighing as she sank into her pillow. “Night night.”

Katsuki leaned in, giving her a quick squeeze, but her little fingers tangled in his shirt, holding him close for just a little bit longer. He allowed it, letting her press her cheek against his shoulder, and stroking her back lightly as she finally settled.

“Goodnight, angel,” he whispered. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Dad.”