Kapuhai Reef

Kitchen

Fumie - 26-1-2020 at 05:51 AM


Fumie - 23-3-2020 at 12:24 PM

This was her favorite time of morning. When the house was quiet and no one was up but her...well, her and lately Papa now that Zori was moving in. She didn't used to like being alone with her thoughts. In a house that felt like a prison, it was unsettling for the Bishop's Court house to be quiet. Maybe because back then quiet gave her space to think about all of the things she'd let Shemar ruin for her and her kids. Here the quiet was peaceful. She would sit in the kitchen, drink her morning coffee, and not think for the little bit of time before Zori woke up and joined her.

Fumie sipped from her mug as Papa rubbed against her leg begging for her attention. She giggled a bit, unfamiliar with this kind of affection from a pet. Lindbergh wasn't like this. He only really took to Eri. "Wanna sneak a treat, Papa?" she teased him as she turned to the cabinet, her finger to her lips as she shushed the already quiet dog and grabbed one of the peanut butter pumpkin flavored Buddy Biscuits. She tossed it his way and chuckled quietly as he caught it midair. She might have done another one if she hadn't heard the sound of a car starting in her driveway. Someone else in this house was "sneaking treats" and Fumie sighed at the idea of finally talking to him about it.

Koi and Devyn had been almost inseparable since Christmas. They were back up to their old ways again and seeing them together made it feel like nothing had changed. That sentiment sounded nice on paper, but things had change. For sure they'd changed for Koi, but Fumie wasn't so much worried about him in all of this. It was Devyn. Fumie saw who she was trying to become. She'd gotten to know her much better when the Kidd she spent the most time with was Eri rather than Koi and Fumie saw Devyn. Really saw her. Young, ambitious, caring, smart. She was Fumie before Shemar, but she was of course smarter because she'd chosen herself. Koi wasn't his father, but he put Devyn through some things in their short time together. Devyn chose herself and Fumie finally felt like she got to meet her.

She wasn't herself with Koi. She had been that same girl from high school for the last week after she and Koi...shared a moment in her fucking powder room and...Fumie didn't like it. Zori had been telling her to let them sort it out, but she felt like she had a responsibility to say something. She knew what Devyn and her son had was...complicated, but they both needed time to figure out who they were on their own. Fumie knew it and deep down, with all the work he'd done and the progress he'd made, she knew Koi knew it too.

Fumie snapped out of her thoughts, hearing the front door close as Koi made his way back inside...No time like the present right?

"Happy birthday, Sweets-," she heard his footsteps slow. He got in late last night. She knew he only wanted to go back to bed but, "Come let me love you for a minute, baby."

Koi - 23-3-2020 at 04:35 PM

"You miss me yet?" Koi whispered against Devyn's lips, pecking her there again. His arm wrapped tighter around her waist now that they were outside of the house, pulling her closer to him. They'd been playing with fire when Koi got her to sleep over for his birthday, but it'd been worth it. He'd woken up with Devyn in his arms...the best birthday gift. And even though he hated saying goodbye to her, they'd made plans to..."meet up" later. Dinner and then maybe, dessert? He didn't really care what, he just wanted to be with her. Since their...time together in the guest bathroom (he said what he said), he hadn't wanted to spend a lot of time away from her. He had her back. After all that time away from her, he finally had her back. Well, he kind of had her back. Okay, so they hadn't really discussed it...at all. But, it didn't matter. They were "them" again.

"I hate saying 'goodbye' to you." He whispered, his lips moving to her forehead as she pushed away from him softly. He watched her walk in the direction of her car, barely able to let her hand go. She giggled softly, as he let go. And he was still watching as she drove away.

His footsteps were light as he entered the house. He knew trying to be quiet was pointless. He'd smelled the coffee when he'd walked Devyn past the kitchen and out the front door. His mom was up...

Happy birthday, Sweets-

Koi turned in the direction of Fumie's voice, his hands going to the pockets of his sweatpants as he padded into the kitchen. His eyes hesitantly met her face and surprisingly, she was full on smile. Well, it wasn't really a surprise. She'd been way more laid back lately...still nosy, but more laid back. It had something to do with Zori, of course. Lately, most of her happiness did. It wasn't all bad. Zori had been what she'd needed to get away from his sperm donor...find herself. Finally be for real happy. Koi felt that, supported it even.

"Hey mommy..." He walked to her, pulling her into him as he wrapped her in a tight hug. He was sleepier than he was really letting on. The night before had been a LONG night in the best way. But he always had time for is Moms.

"...thank you." He said, kissing her quickly on her cheek.

"Since you're up early, what you cookin'?" He chuckled, although he was sure that if she was cooking, he could definitely eat.

Fumie - 24-3-2020 at 02:10 AM

Her arms went around him as his enveloped her and Fumie smiled a little. Nineteen. She'd kept a human alive for 19 years. Sure, she hadn't done her best work in all of those years, but he was still here. And still Koi. She chuckled a little as he let her go, kissing her cheek and asking what she was cooking. Of course her little garbage disposal could eat.

"What abouttttt-" she put a finger to her lips pretending to think about it. Fumie knew what she would make before he even woke up this morning. She was in no way Susie Homemaker. Fumie was much better in a boardroom than a kitchen and she had no illusions in that regard; but the one thing her father made sure she knew how to do before she was 7 years old was make the perfect pancake. "Chocolate chip pancakes?" Since he was 3 years old, on the rare occasion that she did cook, Koi only asked her for chocolate chip pancakes. Every childhood birthday, after winning big games, always chocolate chip pancakes. And she wasn't going to disappoint this morning.

Fumie moved around the kitchen collecting the things she needed as he took a seat at the island. She let the quiet linger for just a second before, "So how was the party last night?" She was going to take it slow. Despite all that had changed, she knew how Koi got when he felt like he was being handled..like someone was telling him what to do. He was doubly defensive when it came to Devyn.

She listened to him talk about his birthday a little, her next question already on her lips, even though she knew the answer. "Sounds like fun, baby...And who was that leaving just now? Did Dhonny stay over?"

Koi - 24-3-2020 at 08:45 AM

Before his mother said it, Koi already knew what his mom was cooking for breakfast. Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Without a doubt. Every special occasion, every win...hell, if he put his puppy eyes on right, his mom would make chocolate chip pancakes for him. That morning was no different. And since he was three, his mother had continued the tradition. It's just...what she did. She would hold on to as much tradition as she could. In spite of Shemar's constant attempts to fuck their lives up with his very existence, Fumie tried to keep some sort of normalcy in Koi and Eri's lives. Even when shit was turning completely upside down. That had been her job for such a long time. But, it wasn't a job for her now. She didn't have to play that role anymore. Shemar was gone. Koi's shit had cooled...for the most part. And she could just...be. Koi dug that. He dug the "new normal".

"That sounds good..." Koi smiled, taking a seat at the island. Zori's big ass dog, Papa, sniffed the floor around his chair, looking up at Koi hopefully. Almost as if he knew that Koi's presence in the kitchen meant some type of food was about hit the table and in turn, find its way to Koi's mouth. Papa...was a hater.

Koi pet the dog's massive head, his eyes returning to Fumie as she asked him about the night before. To be honest, there weren't many things that Koi COULD tell his mother about the night before. He'd been sober through it all, of course. The night hadn't needed one drop of liquor for him to enjoy it. Dhonny and Miyu had come into town for the celebration and they'd all gone to dinner and a burlesque show that night. "All" meaning him, his best friends from high school, Minna...and Devyn. The food was amazing, the show was really good...and then Devyn and Koi came back to his Moms' brownstone...and put on a show of their own. He was really going to need to clean up the feathers from his bed and his floor before his Mom saw his room. Who knew burlesque could be so...inspirational?

"Uh...it was good." He said, scratching the side of his face to hide his secretive smile.

"We hit Kings. Had some dinner...caught a show. It was a good night." He told her a little more about the evening, leaving out the details of the "21 and over" parts. His mom nodded, smiling a little. Talking about how it sounded like "fun". Koi smirked to himself, remembering highlights...especially the ones with Devyn in nothing but thigh highs and a feather boa she'd taken off of a husky voiced, burlesque performer who'd seen them with their hands all over each other the entire show. You two kids are gonna have a swell night... Ha. They had...

"Wh-what?" Koi stuttered, his attention returning to his mother's voice and away from Devyn's arching back and breathy moans.

"Oh...uh, no. That...wasn't Dhonny." He'd admitted, going back to avoiding her eyes. He focused on Papa who was sitting near his feet. The dog huffed, got up, and trotted away towards the stairs. Deserter.

"That was actually...Dev."

Fumie - 24-3-2020 at 09:26 AM

Dinner, a show, a good night. Fumie was sure he was leaving out plenty that she didn't need to know anything about, but she was glad that he'd enjoyed his birthday with his friends. She was glad that for the first time in half a decade, she hadn't had to fish he and Dhonny out of a police station drunk tank this morning. Whatever he'd done, Koi had done it sober and that made her happy. For obvious reasons, sure, but she was also glad he was finding joy in life without having to be...how did he put it? Elevated. She liked his new normal...even though there were remnants of his "old normal" too.

Fumie smirked, her back turned to Koi as she retrieved a mixing bowl from the cabinet, listening to him admit that the person leaving wasn't Dhonny. Of course it wasn't! She'd been a little aloof in the past few years, but she knew who was coming and going in her brownstone the same way she knew who was coming and going in the last house. She did like that they were being honest with one another though. There was a time where her son would've lied to her...she was sure he would wish he had.

"Yeah...-," Fumie sighed, turning to face him then. "Devyn's been over a lot lately, hasn't she...-," that wasn't a question. "Are you, um...don't you think it's a little soon after everything for you all to be...trying again?" Truly she didn't even know if that was the right way to phrase it. She wasn't sure what her son was doing with this girl and the truth was, they probably didn't know either. Fumie had been there for his weird and very embarrassing "propology". Koi didn't always think out his choices with Devyn and Fumie feared that this was another time he was letting that happen.

Koi - 24-3-2020 at 12:52 PM

When Koi heard his Moms sigh, he already knew what the situation was. Shit was about to start. Any time that Fumie had that look on that face and that sound in her voice, it meant that all that time she'd spent being "concerned" about Koi (also known as motherly nosy) was about to come to a real nasty head. That "head" was about to be a heart-to-heart, Koi could already hear it. Koi, what's going on? Koi, do you think you're doing the right thing? Koi, when are you going to stop being a complete fuck up? Okay, so his Moms would never call him a fuck-up, but every time she criticized him without knowing the situation, that screamed "fucking fuck-up" to him. That's what heard. Every fucking time.

"Yes, mom. She has..." Koi tried to keep the sharp edge out of his voice as he answered his mom's comment about Devyn being around "a lot lately". Which meant since Christmas. Which meant since they...shit, since they had sex in her bathroom. Everybody, outside of Eri, pretty much knew now. Hell, Eri might've known. He felt particularly guilty about that considering his kid sister shouldn't know about her brother's sex life. Zori'd basically told him his fly was down when he and Devyn finally emerged from the bathroom. And after everyone but the family had left for the night, his Moms completely flipped the fuck out and made him clean the damn bathroom like her name was Joan Crawford! Calling him all sorts of "nasty asses" and "disgustings". Apparently sex with the family and guest in the house was frowned upon. Message received. Point was...his mom was letting him know...VERY LOUDLY...that he and Devyn spending "time" wasn't something she approved of.

"...and I don't see what the problem is. You like Devyn." His eyebrow arched as her next question hit him. Really...

"Mom. Come on..." He shrugged, the exaggerated scowl on his face making her nose flare with a look that said "try again, son".

"...I mean...I don't know. It's been a year! That's enough time. We're happy."

Fumie - 24-3-2020 at 04:10 PM

And he was starting. She watched as Koi cut his eyes at her, confirming that Devyn had been around "a lot lately". She could hear the 'what the fuck about it' he knew not to add as it would further stir up this conversation. Ugh. She didn't want to fight with him. Honestly, Fumie couldn't remember the last time they'd gotten even into an argument...well...outside of Christmas night when she made him scrub her bathroom from top to bottom after he fucked his little girlfriend in it. The disre-fucking-spect. But that was the shit she was talking about now.

Devyn wasn't herself when she was with Koi. He got her to make decision that Fumie knew she wouldn't usually make if it weren't Koi asking. She remembered Devyn from her first Kidd's Kids Gala. A nervous wreck trying her damnedest to impress a woman that should have been begging for her forgiveness after their initial meeting. Devyn was a good girl. Really, she was...which was why Fumie worried.

"Koi, we don't need the attitude. I'm not trying to fight with you, sweets. I do like Devyn. I think she's great, but, it's just...-," he cut her off. The 'come on' he offered wearing her patience thin. Fumie was sure the glare she gave back told him to clean it up and she listened as he did. It's been a year...We're happy. Oh brother.

"Sweetheart, it's been eight and a half months since you proposed. And neither of you were happy then." A bit harsh? Maybe, but it was true and she was trying to stop him from making a big mistake. Rushing back into things with Devyn was going to bad for the both of them and they had already been through enough.

"I'm not trying to upset you on your birthday baby, I just think you two have growing to do without each other."

Koi - 26-3-2020 at 08:31 AM

Hm. Koi couldn't help but think about how funny it was that he had attitude, yet his Moms was the one who was pressing the issue that was causing it. And she was doing it on his birthday after a night that even thought it was as good as it was long, he still hadn't rested up from. He was tired. He was over it. He was starting to think that his mom was giving him an "uncomfortable ass conversation" as a birthday present. Because the thought of it...the subject of he and Devyn...that shit was uncomfortable. Which was weird because things had been amazing with them for the past couple of weeks. They were them again. The real them. Not the them they'd tried to be for the past year because of everything that'd happened senior year. They were back to that short period before everything went to shit. They were good. The sex was better. But...Koi couldn't help feeling like...fuck. He didn't know. And he didn't want his mother forcing him to try and figure it out either.

"Mom...okay." He huffed, taking a breath as he listened to his Moms talk about Devyn. How great she was. But there was a hesitance there. Almost like there was something else that she wasn't saying. And what the hell would that be? Because as far as Koi was concerned, being back in his life was the only thing that really mattered. Right?

...it's been eight months since you proposed...neither of you were happy then.

The fuck? Koi's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing dangerously at his mother. He could see from the look on her face. She knew it. She'd gone entirely the fuck too far. The proposal? That's what she thought she would bring up on his birthday? His inability to love her enough to be better for her. His stupid attempt at making her happy with his meaningless words in front of her family and friends. Embarrassing her. Confusing her. Losing her. All of it, not a near distant enough memory in his mind. Sure, he could talk about it with Devyn. He owed that to her and it was their issue. But talking about it with his mother? It wasn't her business...and it wasn't her place. Not this.

Shaking his head, he scoffed at her words. Not trying to upset him? Did it. Giving advice he didn't ask for. Doing it.

"Just...mom! Stop! Damn!" His voice rose above hers as he stood, drowning out his mother's fucked up idea that he and Devyn needed to keep doing life without each other.

"That you would even say that screams that you don't know what you're talking about! Let us do us!" Koi could tell he was going overboard, but he literally couldn't stop himself from talking. Not even as he heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Lower your voice, Koi." A baritone voice broke into the argument, a heavy hand resting on his shoulders. They were heaving and Koi hadn't even known they were. The hand pulled him back gently, directing him to the barstool where he'd been sitting before. Zori. His face was concerned, but there was something else there...his eyes shifting to Fumie as he stood between them. Something almost...protective.

"Alright...what's goin' on?" Zori asked, his attention going back to Koi.

Fumie - 26-3-2020 at 10:20 AM

So maybe she'd been a little more than "a bit" harsh. Koi certainly thought so and was telling her just that right now. Fumie tried to clean up bringing in the proposal, but it was too late and still too sore a spot. She saw the shift in him from annoyed to angry and knew what was coming next. The yelling. Defiance. Telling her she didn't know what she was talking about...but she did. Koi just didn't want to hear it. She was making too much sense and asking too many of the right questions. He didn't want to think about it and that's when he made bad decisions.

So she let him go off. Putting down the spoon she was holding so she didn't act on the urge to smack him with it. She let him fume ending his tirade in a "let us do us!". She was sure he had more to say, but Zori had found his way to the argument and asked him to lower his voice. Fumie sighed, bracing herself on the other side of the island as she watched Zori direct Koi to a seat. He had that way about him with everyone. Even Koi in his irrationality. It was hopeless for her to try talking sense into her son, but maybe Zori would have more luck.

She offered a small smile when his eyes fell on her. There was worry there. Not necessarily with Koi, but for Fumie. Despite his stoic demeanor, Zori cared. And he tried with Koi especially because he knew he needed it. It was a another thing to love about Zo. He of course cared about her kids because he cared about Fumie, but Zori genuinely wanted the best for them as people. Which was why he'd advised against this right now. He'd told her not to do this with Koi, to let him figure out this thing with Devyn...and she didn't listen, like she usually didn't when it came to the kids.

But he was opening the door to help with it. Zori always had her back, whether he agreed or not. She might hear more about it later, but for now...

"Maybe you'll have more luck than I did."

Zori - 26-3-2020 at 02:53 PM

When Zori woke up that morning, he couldn't say that he expected the scene playing out in front of him. Fumie standing at the stove, her hands clenched by her sides. Koi's voice, angry and defensive. He'd expected their typical morning, routine that they'd formed way before this week. Before he'd begun the process of moving his things from his home at Hibiscus Hill to here...his home with Fumie, Eri, and Koi. Fumie was always up before everyone scooting from under his arm for her morning coffee...and, lately, the chance to sneak Papa a couple of treats that weren't on his diet plan. Then he was up, his morning meditation and quick run followed. That morning, Zori was pretty sure he wasn't going on that run.

"...talk to me, Koi." Zori spoke louder, Koi's eyes moving from a blank between where he and Fumie stood and he looked straight at Zori. His eyes were angry, but rational. He was pissed, but he wasn't stupid. The raised voices had him on alert, his memories of raised voices around Fumie making him more on edge than he liked. But the truth was the truth. Koi wasn't his damn daddy, no matter how much he'd thought he was in the past. And it was important that Zori remembered that too, no matter how protective of Fumie he'd become.

"Look..." Zori started, rubbing his face. His fingers scratched at his beard as he took a breath, letting calm wash over him. Steadying himself for the situation at hand. He angled his body, focusing on Koi before he started to speak again.

"...I know this ain't my fight. I get it." He spoke calmly, his words just for Koi.

"I'm not trying to take sides, Koi." And he wasn't. He was protective of Fumie. His first nature was to shield her. And whether Koi understood it or not, Fumie was a packaged deal. That went for Koi and Eri as well. After everything that had happened the past year, Zori's first instinct was his family's survival. Koi was his family. And if settling whatever this disagreement was got him closer to his goal of keeping his family well, that was direction he was going. He loved them. More than he'd loved anything outside of his Momma. That meant whatever the situation, whatever the issue...it became Zori's.

"So, talk to me...c'mon." Zori urged again, hand coming to Koi's shoulder again. He squeezed him there, jostling him gently.

"Man..." Koi started, a sigh breaking the silence.

"...so, Devyn slept over last night..." Lovely

Fumie - 27-3-2020 at 02:03 AM

...talk to me, Koi. Just that little bit was more than Koi's sperm donor had ever asked for. In fact, as the years went on, Shemar had actually asked the exact opposite of his son more and more. Not that Koi wanted to talk to him after a point. She liked that he had this now. Fumie liked that Zori wanted to know what was going on with her son. That he could take Koi's side and hers at the same time. Because Zori wasn't asking Fumie to tell him what was going on. He was asking Koi. He didn't want to place blame in an argument; he just wanted resolution.

Although later Zo would certainly talk to her about why this argument was happening in the first place. He told her Koi had to learn this lesson himself. This wasn't the first time she'd wanted to ask Koi about he and Devyn. Especially not after their very obvious tryst in her powder room (she might still be mad about that), but Zori had advised against it every time. She understood his reasoning, but they just had different methods of parenting. It wasn't Fumie's nature to let what could be fixed continue to go broken. Especially now that the main cause of her family's brokenness was gone. Koi had been through enough and he cared deeply for Devyn. She just didn't want him getting his heart broken again when things inevitably went left.

She gave Koi the space to offer his understanding of what Fumie was saying. Devyn had slept over and Fumie had chosen his birthday to tell him she had a problem with Devyn and Koi being together. Fumie sighed, rolling her neck as she ran a hand through her hair. That wasn't it.

"Koi, sweetheart, I don't have a problem with you and Devyn being together. I just think there's more for the two of you to think about than how you feel about one another right now." That was all. Koi had plenty to deal with without adding "keeping Devyn happy" to the mix. School, the season had started, therapy, AA, and she didn't even want to think about him starting his pledge process when the semester began (something she actually didn't approve of). Not to mention the things she was sure Devyn had going on.

"I'm not going to pretend to know it all when it comes to you and Devyn, but I will say, from just what I can see, I don't like the two of you having sex, especially in my house because it clouds your judgement, baby. And hers. Tell me, where did Devyn lie and say she stayed last night? She certainly can't tell Athena she was here without consequences." That was the point. Fumie just wanted her son and the girl he loved (because he did love her, she knew that), to be together without consequence. They weren't there yet. Why wouldn't he acknowledge that? She knew he saw it.

Koi - 27-3-2020 at 09:33 AM

Zori had fucking entered the chat... Koi couldn't lie. At that moment? He wasn't necessarily excited about Zori's presence in the kitchen. Any other time, Zori was more than welcome. He was the homie. More than that, he was the only father figure Koi had now that his actual "father" (his number was saved as 'sperm donor') had fucking disappeared off the face of the earth after the divorce was finalized. It didn't take Shemar two seconds to "get the fuck" and leave his family to someone that wanted the job more. Someone that didn't owe Koi and his family shit...but gave them everything he had. Koi got it. He loved Zori. But what he didn't love? Being ganged up on ON HIS FUCKING BIRTHDAY. Which he felt was the move...until he started listening to Zori. Okay, so he wanted to know what was going on? Gladly.

Devyn slept over. Koi sucked his teeth, his eyes catching the barely noticeable shift in Zori's face. Eyebrows started to raise before he caught them. His eyes went downcast for a second before he blinked and the returned to Koi's. His nose flared before he could stop it. And Koi knew without having to hear him say it...Zori was disappointed. Whatever. So was his Moms. And even though Koi hated to see the look...that look on Zori's face, he loved seeing Devyn's even more. He loved seeing her smile at him again. He loved seeing her smiling face when it was just the two of them and his was the reason for her laugh. He loved seeing her bite her lip underneath him when they were together, her moans filling him with more than just lust. But with hope. With hope that the time they spent pretending they were over. That they could just BE together.

But that wasn't enough, right? According to his Moms, there were "more things" besides he and Devyn. More things like everything he was already fucking doing? School, basketball, pledging, being fucking sober? Repeat, all of this shit he was doing without drugs or liquor. And there was more? He could barely keep the shit together that he had kept together...and he was trying to do it without Devyn. Well, the last couple of days told him he didn't have to anymore.

Koi couldn't stop his eyes from rolling as his mother kept talking, laying down all of the shit that he'd done wrong in this situation. Sex with Devyn. Sex with Devyn in his Moms' house (okay, so he can admit he was super fucked for that). Making Devyn lie. Knowing that Devyn's aunt, Athena, hated him and forcing Devyn to do the shit he'd forced her to do anyway.

"Okay, so...what you're saying this is everything is my fault. Got it. Thanks." He shrugged, ignoring his mother's exasperated sigh.

"Koi, that's definitely not what your Mom said." Zori spoke up, his voice the stillness in the middle of the storm.

"Then what did she say, Zo? Do tell..."

Fumie - 27-3-2020 at 11:14 AM

She was trying to be clear. She was thinking her words out so carefully and choosing which ones to say in the hopes of NOT further upsetting him. And it was worth shit because it wasn't working. In all of the things she had said, in everything she had asked him to consider, all Koi had heard was blame. He heard her saying "everything wrong is your fault". And it was crazy because she wasn't saying anything was wrong! Should Devyn be over here sleeping with her ex? No. Should her son be over here fucking in her gotdamn guest bath-...that wasn't the point. The point was, Koi and Devyn needed to take some time to figure out who they were without one another. That was what she was trying to get at. That was no one's fault, it was just...life.

Life. Something she had never let her son understand without her help. That was her problem...or at least that what Zori said it was. She wouldn't let Koi do without her meddling. Without Fumie fixing. She heard him, but...she really couldn't help herself. It's who she was. It was who she hadn't been for far too long. But maybe she was too late. Maybe she couldn't be the mother she wanted to be to Koi now and she'd missed her window.

"You know what-," she broke in before Zori could better explain what she was trying to say. "Maybe I should just say less. Whatever I say is obviously going to be the wrong thing. Zo, please talk to this boy. I pray your patience." Oh, God because if she prayed for strength...

Zori - 28-3-2020 at 10:45 AM

For the first time in a long time, Zori found himself a little speechless. And not his normal, stoic silence. Completely wordless. Because he could admit he was a little out of his element. Yeah, he'd had to give advice to the kids that trained at the gym. A little relationship, a lot of "after high school" talk...and a whole lot of "family". When it came to teenage drama and what it meant those days, Zori had gotten to the place where there wasn't a discussion he couldn't have. Except the one he was in the middle of now. Because this time, he wasn't degrees removed. This was his family. Their situation. He couldn't give advice and be done with it because whatever he said affected him as well. The past eight months had him understanding parenting in a way he never had before. And he couldn't lie about the fact that it scared him. Every time he met a challenge with Koi, had to be responsible for Eri...he felt the weight of that responsibility. Did he run from it? Hell no, because when he met Fumie...when he fell in love with her, he knew that she came with extras. Two talented, amazing ass challenges that he'd have given everything for...done anything for. That's why even though he wasn't excited about what he had to say to Koi, he'd do it anyway.

"Alright...okay, Fumie." Zori reached out for her, the irritation apparent as he massaged her right shoulder quickly. He hated how wound up she was as she cooked, wielding that spatula like a knife. Zori kissed the side of her head and went to the bar where Koi was sitting, scooting out the barstool and sitting beside him. He sat there silently for a moment, letting the Koi cool down...relatively speaking. Because eventually he went from seething to slightly upset, his shoulders relaxing. Nose unflared.

"Tell me what you want, then." Zori said simply, looking at the side of Koi's face. Without waiting for him to respond, he kept talking.

"What do you want? With this situation between you and Devyn? How do you want all of this to turn out with her?" He asked again, watching Koi slowly look at him. And even though he'd learned the boy that'd become a son to him in such a short time, he couldn't read the answer that came out of him.

Fumie - 28-3-2020 at 12:21 PM

Sometimes she felt bad about what she asked of Zori. He wasn't her kids' father. None of this was his responsibility, but...he was here. He wanted to be here with them and he wanted to be here for them. She'd gotten lucky. At her age, with her baggage? She should have been alone for the rest of her time on this planet. She should have been raising Koi and Eri on her own, butting in where she had no business with her grandchildren (Koi and Devyn's kids were probably going to make an appearance sooner than she hoped), and making sure everyone had what they needed to thrive. She probably should have...but she wasn't alone. She had Zori.

And she was ever grateful for the way he handled Koi. As her baby tried to navigate life post-suicide attempt, Zori had been the Mr. Miyagi to his Karate Kid. This wasn't the first time Zori had been the one to break through and talk sense into this boy and Fumie was sure it wouldn't be the last. Zori just...he was what Koi needed. She had learned not to take Koi's rejection personally. It was a dynamic she was responsible for creating with her son and she'd come to expect an argument whenever she had to say something he wouldn't like. Zori on the other hand, he would listen to.

Zori offered the fatherly guidance he'd never gotten. Despite hating his actual father, he still needed someone to fill that void. It was something he'd always longed for. Koi probably would never say that out loud, but Fumie knew her son. He wasn't the fuck up he kept accusing her of calling him. He was just a sad kid without the right guidance...well he was.

What do you want in this situation between you and Devyn? Now he had Zori to ask the right questions.

Koi - 28-3-2020 at 02:21 PM

Tell me what you want. What the hell kind of question...What did Zori think they were doing right now? Bonding? Shit, he'd been so deep in the argument with his Moms, Zori's question caught him off guard...confused him a little. Because no one asked him what he wanted when it came to his future with Devyn. They told him what he should do. His mother wanted he and Devyn to wait. Devyn had wanted a relationship, and then after the overwhelming year she'd had with him, wanted space to figure their shit out...which she was totally owed. But him? He almost didn't know how to answer the question. What was he supposed to say? All he'd wanted for almost a year was what he had now. Devyn back with him. The shit that he'd done to her, forgiven. Well, shit was forgiven and Devyn was back...right? That's what he was telling himself. And now that they were back to them...?

"I want..." Koi rubbed his hand through his curls, looking at his Moms cooking at the stove. He knew she was listening, even if she was trying hard not to show it. She cared a lot. Too much. So much that she would get into a fucking argument on her son's birthday to figure out his craziness...because she loved him. He knew that. No question about it. And Koi knew...that Devyn would be the same way. She'd probably be a little bit more laid back, but loving her kids enough that she'd move hell to protect them? That was all her. And immediately, Koi knew the answer...

"...I wanna spend the rest of my life with her." He answered, smiling even though the answer scared him a little.

"I want be with her. Because at the end of everything...it's gonna be her. I already know it." He looked at Zori again, nodding his head as he spoke. He met Zori's eyes, unblinking. He wanted him to know that despite everything...he meant what he said. He'd known it before he lost her even if he couldn't say it to himself. But losing her and nearly losing himself had him ready to say the scary shit that he'd only thought and never expressed.

"I want her. Period, dad."

Fumie - 29-3-2020 at 01:40 AM

She had never asked him that. In all of the drama and the discord between he and Devyn, Fumie had never asked Koi what it all was for. She hadn't...she just hadn't considered it. To be honest, although she would never EVER say so out loud, Koi was still his father's son. He held more tendencies relative to Shemar than either of them would like to admit and she knew just how fleeting what Koi wanted could be. Sure, he loved Devyn now, but would he in a month? A year? Five? She didn't know. She didn't know and it scared her that he wasn't willing to think that far out to know for himself either...at least it seemed that way.

But maybe she hadn't given him enough credit. Her hand slowed, the rubber whisk in a bowl of batter coming to an almost complete stop as her attention turned to his answer, a lingering I want... leaving her in suspense. He was thinking about it. Fumie could feel his eyes on her, her eavesdropping discovered, sparking action in her again as she poured the batter into a perfect circle on the stovetop griddle. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Fumie smiled, willing every molecule in her body not to turn her around to look at her son. But she didn't have to look to know. He meant that.

Koi only spoke with that much conviction about one thing and it was basketball. He had loved the game since he was old enough to crawl to his ball and his commitment to that hadn't waivered. Through the drama with his parents, the drugs, the drinking, the partying, whatever, when it was time to get serious about his game he did what he had to do. Koi was guaranteed to the league and not because he was "Shemar Kidd's son" but because he worked and he earned that shit. To hear that passion in his voice when he talked about Devyn...someone he wasn't guaranteed...Fumie was proud of him and she was happy that he'd found who he thought was his partner in life...But she was more scared for him now than when she started all of this.

That was what Koi wanted...what did Devyn want?

Zori - 29-3-2020 at 11:23 AM

I want her. Period, dad.

Zori most definitely had to hide the smile that was attempting to break on his lips at everything that Koi had just told him. First of all, dad. Second of all, it'd been awhile since he and Koi had had a discussion about the future. When they did, they talked about basketball, school, and yes, his relationship with Devyn. But in all that time, Zori was sure that he'd never heard Koi talk about Devyn like this. With the future in mind. And with so much resolve in his voice. It was new...and Zori was oddly proud of him for it. Proud that even as young as he was, Koi wasn't running from something that would've scared the shit out of a nineteen year old Zori if it'd been him facing that truth. The truth that he'd found the woman he wanted forever. Zori believed in timing. He believed everything synced for a reason. And in that place, he knew that shit had lined up to place he and Fumie together. If it'd been any other time and any other place, he wouldn't have been ready for her. He wouldn't be with her. He wouldn't have this family...this "now". And he felt the same thing for Koi. This was his "now". Everything he felt for Devyn was now and it didn't need to take years for him to see it. The only thing that made him waiver was wondering...if Devyn felt the same way.

"Okay. I hear you...and I'm proud of you." He patted Koi on his shoulder, his smile wavering as soon as it showed up. As happy as he was for Koi, reality was what it was. The truth was what it was, as well.

"But, what about Devyn, Koi?" That was reality. The understanding that just because one person felt a way, that the other person didn't or wouldn't necessarily return the feeling. Devyn quickly came to mind. It wasn't that Zori didn't see the love she had for Koi. That would be a lie. She loved him more than she could possibly understand. But in the past year, that love had been stretched to the limits. What that limit was, Zori wouldn't know. That limit would only be determined by the two people that would set it. And Zori meant "two". Koi AND Devyn.

"What does she think? How does she feel? Do you know...have you even asked?"

Fumie - 29-3-2020 at 04:31 PM

Fumie had really found her better half. She thought about what this conversation might look like if Shemar had been the one having it with his son instead of Zori and...she honestly couldn't picture it. He certainly wouldn't be asking Koi what he wanted. Especially, not concerning Devyn. Zori wasn't Shemar, obviously. And he wasn't Fumie. While she'd had the same thought Zo was expressing now, asking Koi what Devyn thought would have been a fight. She knew that without even asking because he was quiet now. Fumie turned to look at him then, trying her hardest to keep the sympathy out her eyes.

With just the few words Zori'd offered, Koi's confidence faltered. He hesitated, his brow furrowing as he broke eye contact with Zori. Fumie didn't think it was because he didn't know what Devyn wanted. If she had to guess, Devyn at one point had wanted to do the rest of forever with him too. Now...forever might have been a long time for her. And they'd come full circle. Somehow, in a way that Koi could understand, Zori had asked what Fumie had asked to start this whole thing. What were the two of them doing? "Two" being Koi AND Devyn. They weren't going to find out now, Dhonny padding into the kitchen in the brief moment of quiet contemplation.

"Morning, y'all! Pancakes done?"

Fumie - 2-7-2020 at 02:17 PM

_____________After Breakfast_____________


Fumie sighed again, as she put the last breakfast dish in the dishwasher and turned it on. Koi and Dhonny had disappeared back upstairs (surely for more sleep) and Zori was finally able to go on his morning run, albeit a bit late. He'd stopped to help Fumie...with some drama he'd asked her not to start. Zo knew now though that it was just her nature right? Koi was going down a path that was only going to end up hurting him and she was tired of watching him hurt. She was trying to help, despite Zo's insistence that Koi needed to figure it out for himself.

It was a moot subject once Dhonny entered the room. Things were obviously tense for all of two seconds, then Dhonny did what Dhonny does and "cleansed their auras" or whatever he would say. Dhonny was Koi's most quality friend. Hell, he might've been Koi's only friend outside of the roommate she knew almost nothing about. Dhonny was Koi's voice of reason (when it counted) in high school. Fumie thought that since The Sanctuary Koi was learning to be his own voice of reason, but...Devyn. Devyn made her son throw caution to the wind and it - Papa nudged her leg, pulling her out of her newest bout of worrying. He whined a little and Fumie knew what that meant. She giggled a little.

"Your daddy is going to be mad at us if I give you another treat, Papa-," the dog whined again, his head tilting as if he was confused. He knew what Fumie was saying...but he was cute when he was begging. Fumie conceded, rolling her eyes as she made her way to the cabinet, "Fine, but just one." She giggled, watching Papa's tail wag in anticipation. She's gotten the biscuit out of the box and was waving it over him when she heard his voice. She smiled at the sound of his baritone, attempting and failing to hide her hand behind her back as she turned to face him.

"Hi, baby! How was your run?" Before he could answer Papa, jumped up behind her, taking the treat in his mouth before trotting out of the kitchen triumphant. Fumie looked at Zori expectantly, biting her lip.

"Busted, huh?"

Zori - 2-7-2020 at 03:08 PM

Zori stepped on the backs of his shoes, pulling his socked feet out of them before he crossed the threshold of the brownstone. Not that Fumie cared, but Zori hated tracking outside into their home. Their home... Even though it'd only been a firm week since he'd actually gotten the last of his things in the home he now shared with Fumie and the kids, it still felt...a bit like a dream, he guessed. Not that corny, 1970's crooning R&B, "fantasy" type of dreaming, but the kind of dream that happened and you had to check yourself to make sure you were awake. It'd seemed like just yesterday that he and Fumie met, were fighting falling for each other...which they ended up gladly losing at...and now they were here. Him pulling of his ratty running shoes that she'd threatened more than once to throw away when he wasn't looking...and stepping the home they shared.

He closed the door the the outside sounds and the fresh air he'd gladly greeted after the conversation he'd just had with Fumie and Koi earlier. A conversation that was on the brink of an argument. Koi and his momma weren't meeting eye to eye, which wasn't nothing out of the usual considering Koi was a teenager and Fumie was as headstrong as she was beautiful (also known as something that he'd never say in front of her). But this time, it was a bit more heated than Zori had seen it get in awhile. Koi and Devyn had been spending a lot of...close time together and understandably, Fumie wasn't having it. Zori didn't necessarily think it was the best idea either. One, because Koi and Devyn wasn't supposed to be a "thing" right now. Sure they'd get back to it when the time was better for the both of them, but that for sure wasn't now. And two? Because Zori loved Devyn like his own daughter...but there was just...something about her. He prided himself on being a man that saw deeper than surface. His Momma, who was a superstitious as she was saved, said it was the "sight"...whatever the hell that New Orleans, mumbo jumbo shit was. But he knew it was just his ability to read a person deeper than what the showed him. And he felt it. There was more to Devyn than Koi knew...than he really tried to see. And laying next to her wasn't going to prepare him for when he finally saw it.

"Baby..." Zori spoke softly on his way to the kitchen, his sock feet padding against the hardwood floors. Now that the argument was over and done, maybe they could get back to their morning routine. He'd make some tea, maybe some breakfast. They'd talk...and now that they boys were sleep again...maybe they could have a little "adult" time together. Something that didn't involve the kids...or clothes...

"Babe...you want some..." Zori was about to say "breakfast" when he entered the kitchen, a silent "wow" falling from his lips at the betrayal he was seeing. Fumie...feeding his damn dog...again.

"What part of the word 'diet' are you not getting, Sachi...?" Zori, chuckled in disbelief as she tried to hide the biscuit she was feeding Papa behind her back...which, he smartly (bad ass) nipped out of her hand and trotted into the next room. Zori watched him leave, his eyes returning to Fumie's, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Yeah, very busted..." He walked to Fumie, his arms going around her waist, pulling her into his sweaty chest and damp A-shirt. He lowered his head to her neck, kissing at her playfully as she tried to push away from him.

Fumie - 3-7-2020 at 08:02 AM

She was caught. Fumie smiled as innocently as possible, whirling to face Zori with her hand behind her back as he asked why she was again violating Papa's diet. Well she hadn't done it yet...until Papa took the choice from her, stealing his treat and leaving her to face the consequences alone. Deserter. Good thing for her, Zo had a soft spot when it came to disciplining her...it was probably part of the reason she never listened now. But hey, who knew? Maybe today he'd give her a spanking.

He chuckled as he approached her, pulling her body into his as his lips found her neck. Any other time Fumie might have been more receptive, but he was sweaty and gross right now! "Zo, nooo-," she whined playfully, unable to contain her giggle as she gave a little struggle against his hold. "You're all sweaty, stop!" Her words said one thing, but her lips said another as she rose on her toes to kiss him. Her tongue slipped between them and she felt his hands slip lower on her waist. Zori wasn't gone long, but she missed him. She always did...and she maybe owed him an apology.

Fumie broke their kiss, smiling up at him as she responded to his half question from earlier. "And yes, I could do breakfast-," she knew what he was asking. They had a routine. Even before asking him to move in here, Zori was around more often than he wasn't. Their awkward, learning one another's habits phase was long gone...honestly, she wasn't even sure that they'd had it. She and Zori just kind of clicked. Like they were meant to be together.

The two of them broke apart and Zo went to preparing breakfast while Fumie pulled out a kettle for tea. "Hey babe...Thank you for earlier." She knew he knew what she was talking about. She filled the kettle as she clarified, "Koi loves you." Koi needed him. He knew both of those things, but she was sure it was still nice to hear.

Zori - 9-7-2020 at 05:52 PM

Even though he fought against the smile creeping on his lips under their kiss, Zori loved when Fumie was like this. Playful. Absolutely naughty. He could feel it in her kiss, her tongue touching his, his hands moving beyond her waist...holding her in a way he probably shouldn't have been with their son and his best friend sleeping upstairs. But this Fumie was his favorite. Not like he didn't love the others, as well. "Businesswoman", "Mom", "Best Friend" Those were just a few and they were amazing women. But this one? This was the Fumie that made his knees weak and his heart skip a beat. Even as Fumie pulled out of their kiss, agreeing to what would be their second breakfast (Koi and Dhonny demolished the first), he felt his lips follow hers, looking down at them like they were a too short drink of water on a too hot day.

"Then let's do breakfast..." He muttered, his hands moving back to her hips as he pulled her to him. His kiss met her forehead as the hesitated to separate, moving into the routine that they'd built together. Her, getting down his tea kettle and the Red Blend tea from the tea shop on the Boardwalk. Him, getting the ingredients for omelets out of the fridge...and quietly enjoying the view of Fumie reaching on the top shelf of their cabinets.

"...especially since Koi ate the last two pancakes before he knocked out again..." Chuckling, he mixed the freshly cracked eggs with the diced tomatoes, onions, and peppers that Ipo kept in the fridge...mostly because she knew about he and Fumie's morning routine as well. And because she'd taken a liking to Zori, a fact that Fumie wouldn't stop teasing him about.

A quiet settled over the kitchen, the sounds of Fumie filling the kettle and Zori whisking in the mixing bowl filling the space. That was when they were the most in sync. Doing what Koi called their "freaky ass silent" conversations. But to Zori, it was just...them. They'd always vibbed that way. One look, a smile...her body movements. His back brushing against hers as they passed each other on the way to their destinations. It was a dance, with two partners that moved like they were one.

Hey babe... Zori looked up from the stove, turning down the heat down on the tea that Fumie'd just placed on the eye...she liked to brew the tea a little quicker that Zori did. In a lot of ways, Fumie was about results. She knew what she wanted to see and she worked towards it tirelessly. That included her relationship with him, as well. And he that was something that he really loved about her...more often than not. But sometimes...especially when it came to her children, Fumie could...push. Sometimes a little harder than Zori felt she should...

"Of course..." He said softly, ladling the egg into the omelet skillet. She didn't have to thank him for that. Not for talking to a boy he loved like his own son. Not for instructing that boy along his journey into manhood. And definitely not for being the father that both he and Koi had been denied by no doing of their own.

"I love him..." Zori answered her quickly, pausing to lower the flame on her omelet, looking over his shoulder as he said his next words.

"...he loves you, too." He muttered, smiling at her.

Fumie - 11-7-2020 at 11:46 AM

This was her second favorite version of them. When the two of them didn't speak, but they were still connected in their actions, in their movements, in their goals. Fumie smiled thinking about her children seeing it in action. Koi was weirded out by them. That two people could exist in silence near one another was an anomaly to him. Eri on the other hand didn't find it strange at all. In fact, she and Zori sometimes did their own version of this. Fumie first noticed when they were moving in. Eri had asked for help hanging some things in her room. She refused to let the decorators in, but Zori was a different story. They moved back and forth from wall to wall for a little over an hour without a word and somehow it was just right. Being with Zori was like that though. Pretty much all of what he did was right.

Especially when it came to the kids. Fumie thanked him for talking to Koi this morning when she just...couldn't get it right. Not that she ever did. She smiled as he offered a nonchalant 'of course' followed by a verbal confirmation of what Fumie already knew to be true. I love him. Of course that was his reply. Of course Zori loved her son like a father would. Like Koi's own father didn't. Fumie watched Zo as he lowered the heat on the omelets, a small smile on her lips.

...he loves you, too. Fumie scoffed then, her eyes rolling, "Debatable-," she chuckled a little then, leaning against the counter next to him. Her lips pressed against his shoulder quickly as she weaved a hand around his waist, pulling herself into him.

"You know I couldn't help it right?" She looked up at him, her gaze innocent even though she knew her actions this morning had been anything but. "You know I can't let him make this same mess with Devyn...again."

Zori - 17-7-2020 at 04:32 PM

Zori smirked at the softly spoken "debatable" that left Fumie's lips, her chuckle making the corner of his mouth turn up, the little gap in his front teeth flashing the way it always did when he could hear her happiness. He felt her lean closer to him, his jaw clenching a little at the warmth as she drew into him, her lips pressed against his shoulder. He returned the kiss, his lips lowering clumsily to the top of her head, brushing her hair. The ladle in his hand was probably a good thing as that moment would've made him forget about the omelet altogether.

You know I couldn't help it right?

Zori nearly scoffed into that damn omelet, his smile growing as his eyes met Fumie's innocent ones. Sometimes, she made Zori laugh...especially when she turned on that "cat that swallowed the rat whole" look. The look that said, "don't tell me I'm wrong...because I'm not!"...even though a lot of the time...well...

"Babe..." He said quietly, flipping the omelet as she talked about what she wasn't going to "let" happen between her son and Devyn again. Let being the word that rang out louder than the rest of the sentence for Zori. Because "let" meant the complete opposite of what Zori thought should be happening when it came to Fumie and Koi's life. Of course, Zori knew he toed the line when it came to giving Zori advice about their children. Because no matter how much Zori claimed them...how much he loved Koi and Eri, the truth was that they were Fumie's. She'd given birth to them. Held them underneath her heart for nine months. Delivered them. There wasn't a lot that Zori felt that he could argue her on when it came to her babies. But he just...he knew that "let" wasn't going to end well.

"...I-" His words stopped short as he tried to figure out the best way to express himself to her. He flipped the omelet to bid him time, looking at Fumie out of the corner of his eye.

"I think you want to do right by Koi...you're his mama. It's second nature for you to want the best for him, love." He spoke slowly, his concentration focused on the skillet to keep from looking Fumie in the eye.

"I just think...that holding on as tight as you want to might do more harm than help, Fumie..."

Fumie - 18-7-2020 at 01:12 PM

This was her favorite version of them. Parent Fumie and Zo. When they tag teamed and made the best decisions for their children...because they were that. Theirs. In his short time in their lives, Zori was more of a father to Koi and Eri than Shemar had been all of their lives. Hell, even now Shemar hadn't contacted either of the kids since the divorce was finalized. Not that either of them would speak to him, but he wasn't trying...and honestly, Fumie preferred it that way. Zo was much better suited for fatherhood anyway.

And they had talked about it. As much as Zo considered her kids his, and Fumie loved him for it, Zori wanted children that had come from him...she got that. And she wanted to give that to him, but...she didn't know. As much as Fumie loved Zori and was absolutely committed to their relationship she wasn't...ready? She guessed the word she was looking for was 'ready'. After being so miserable in a marriage for so long, the idea of getting into a new one and all of the things that came with was...scary to Fumie. Even if it was with Zo. Having Eri convince her that it was time for him to move in had been much harder than it should have been (and more difficult than she would ever admit to him), but she loved how they were now. And for now, Zori was giving her the time she needed.

And, more often than not, the advice she needed. Not that Fumie's actions ever told him that she appreciated his efforts. Even in his gentle disagreement, Fumie resisted the idea that she should just let the chips fall where they may with Koi and Devyn. He was right. She wanted the best for him. And Devyn was great, but she wasn't best for him right now. Everyone involved knew that to be true; that's why Christmas began with them being 'friends' and only ended up with them being more because...ugh. Teenage love. She remembered it well...and she knew how much trouble it could end up being.

"He's just been through so much already, Zori. You know that-," Fumie sighed, trying to gather her thoughts. In a way she agreed with Zori. She knew she could be more smothering than mothering when it came to her son and maybe this was one of those situations, but...

"And he's got so much going on already with school and basketball and this fraternity shit that I know is going to test his sobriety-," Fumie ran a hand through her hair as she moved away from Zori, creating a little distance as she watched him fold the omelet in the pan. "Devyn is only going to add pressure to what he thinks he has to do and I know what can happen when the pressure builds up..."

She did. And she didn't want that for him. Not again.

Not anymore.

Zori - 9-8-2020 at 04:46 PM

...and I know what can happen when the pressure builds up...

Fumie knew her son. She knew him in a way that Zori never would. Eighteen years of her raising him, caring for him and loving him told Zori that he would never come close to knowing Koi the way Fumie did. Anyone that sat that close to her heart for the nine months he'd grown inside of her? Zori didn't stand a chance. But in the short time that he'd known Koi, Zori'd learned quickly what happened when the pressure built up, too. He'd seen it on prom night. He'd seen it the night he'd proposed to Devyn. And he saw it building now. Fumie was right. There was so much working against him right now that it was impossible for Zori to deny that fact...but that didn't exactly mean that it was time for the love of his life to dig her cape out of the closet just yet. Fumie was so use to saving the day that she went into action the second things looked like they were headed for trouble.

Was that the case right now? Zori didn't know. He didn't know if the words that he'd said to Koi before he and Dhonny had gone back upstairs had stuck. He didn't know if Koi would stick to the things he'd said about Devyn when he got back to campus and she was the only thing that he could see. Because Zori knew firsthand. Words were real easy to repeat, but actions were what was hard to commit to. Zori'd loved Fumie before his mind let his body fall for her. He'd tried to stay away from the very thing that completed him. But his fight had been honorable. Even though he'd lost, he'd still won. That was why he wasn't afraid for Koi. He had a long road in front of him, but there wasn't a doubt in Zori's mind that Koi'd win in the end.

"Sachi..." He spoke softly as he plated her omelet, one hand holding the plate...the other holding her by the waist, pulling her close to him as he spoke. He smiled softly as he looked at her, the tensed, agitate furrow of her brow pulling a soft chuckle from his lips.

"You know you're working yourself up, right?" He knew making light of the situation would irritate her but didn't like seeing her like this. Agitated. Speaking herself into a spiral of "what could" and "what might" instead of what was actually happening. And what was happening was their son was growing up. He was becoming the man Zori secretly prayed he'd become.

"Listen to me." He steered her body towards island, placing the plate on the top of the it as she sat on one of the bar stools. He paused as he pulled silverware from one of the island's drawers, placing them gently on her plate.

"We got this...and you worrying isn't doing anything but giving you crow's feet."

Fumie - 12-8-2020 at 03:19 PM

Like the teapot could hear them talking it began to whistle as soon as Fumie finished her thought. She snapped the eye off, moving the kettle away from the heat as her thoughts kept running. If Koi went down this road with Devyn too quickly it was bound to end in disaster. The two of them together was...a lot. And Koi didn't need "a lot" right now. He had plenty with this ridiculous idea of his to pledge on top of his actual obligations...Like she said...she just knew how he got when the pressure built up...

Zori called her name bringing her back to him. Part of her hated when he used her middle name because that only meant one of two things. She was in trouble or he was going to say something she didn't like. She knew what it would be this time, but she waited to hear it from him anyway, his hand pulling her body into his. She was overreacting.

He said it nicer than she thought he might. Fumie was working herself up. Getting excited about things that hadn't happened yet and might not ever happen. She knew he was right. Zori was always right, but that didn't mean she could just turn it off! She rolled her eyes, sighing deeply as she cut them at him. He just chuckled again, knowing better than to take her seriously when she was being stubborn. And she was...but she was right! Why couldn't he just tell her she was right?!

Zori led her to the island, imploring her to listen to him as he put her omelet in front of her. We got this...He was so sure. Fumie's eyes connected with his cool greys and she just...Zori had a way about him that always grounded her. He was right, she was spiraling, but he had a way of saying just the right thing just the right way that just...oop! Fumie scoffed, her mouth falling open at the sheer audacity before she laughed a little, her hand reaching out to swat at his arm.

"I'm ignoring that last bit, because we both know it's not true-," she chuckled again, "But I hear you, baby." Fumie smiled at him as she motioned him closer, her fingers finding his face as she pulled Zori's lips to hers in a kiss. She didn't let it linger, because she knew they were supposed to be doing breakfast...but, as he turned to get his own plate together, and Fumie let her eyes follow his form across the kitchen, she wondered just how long they actually needed to be in here...

"Y'know...you're very sexy when you do this confident dad thing-," Fumie bit her lip leaning in a little as Zori looked at her over his shoulder. "I like it..."

A lot. She liked it a lot. And she was thinking about all of the ways she could show him just how much.

Zori - 13-8-2020 at 04:44 PM

Zori was glad for the whistling tea kettle that interrupted Fumie's thoughts as they had a habit of getting bigger the more she stayed on them. That was the last thing she needed when it came to thinking about Koi. Things were complicated already when it came to him. He was figuring out himself as a man. That was hard enough...Zori could attest to that. It was too much for Fumie to carry the weight of "what could be" and "what might happen" when what was in front of her face was good enough. Koi was staying clean, making decisions for himself, and growing into his manhood. Eri was making friends and coming out of her shell a little more everyday. Life was working out well for them. The universe knew it owed Fumie and the kids that much. Zori didn't want to ignore the obvious. He knew Fumie had a valid point. Things could get bad. Quickly. Zori just wanted her to let go of the past long enough to appreciate the good.

He turned away from her, her scoff widening his smile as he started on his own omelet, her playful swat meeting his arm at his joke about her nonexistent crows feet. And there it was. The laugh he'd been waiting for. It immediately broke the tension in the room as it filled the kitchen. That laugh? It'd taken awhile for her to laugh like that again. After the year they'd seen, Zori was just glad she'd gotten her laugh back. He was happy for the joy in their lives. Even if the darker moments were never too far off, he was glad for "now".

But I hear you, baby... And that was all he wanted. To know that she was listening. Even if his words never erased her anxiety about Koi, he knew that they at least gave here a little peace.

He bit his lip a little, his lips curling into a soft smile as they met hers. Although it was a quick kiss, he could feel the energy behind it. The unspoken words that moved between them. Words that almost made him burn his omelet. He turned it over and switched the eye of the stove off as he moved to the cabinet for the Saints cup he always had his morning tea in. A short silence fell over the kitchen as he prepared his tea...and then...

Y'know...

He felt himself warm as Fumie talked about the sexiness of his "dad" skills...a conversation that when he looked back on them, he'd never dreamed they would've been having in a million years. Two million. Three...whatever. He wouldn't have had it any other way. He looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes everywhere they shouldn't have been with their son and his best friend upstairs.

The bite of her lip. The long curl she'd let slip out of the top bun she'd styled her hair into that morning. The purr in her voice...

"You might wanna watch the way you talk to me if you want to finish your breakfast this morning..." His voice was barely above a whisper, but he knew Fumie heard him...

Fumie - 1-9-2020 at 04:51 AM

Zori was very sexy when he did his "dad thing". Eri was a little different because Fumie thought she intuitively knew Zo would be good for them (she was like that), but Fumie often thought about the first time Koi called Zori dad. It was so simple. They were moving him into his room and Koi just wanted Zo to grab a box and move it. It was an accident, really. A slip of the tongue. Aye, can you grab that for me, dad. He didn't pause when he said it. Fumie was pretty sure he hadn't noticed it happened until much later, but...it happened. Neither she nor Zo said anything, but it was a big deal and it happened.

It happened again this morning as they tried thinking through what was going on with Koi and Devyn. It was a lot less of an accident now when Koi called him dad, but the flutter it caused in her heart was the same. Finally having some semblance of a father figure for her kids, specifically her son, was...if she was being deep and in touch with her feelings, it was fulfilling as a mother in a way that she couldn't describe. If she was keeping it light and surface level, it was hot as fuck.

And Fumie didn't mind telling Zori so. She could feel his smile before he saw it, his eyes cutting at her over his shoulder as he gave her a mischievous smirk to match her own. Zori knew where this was going...and he knew it wasn't going to end in her finishing her breakfast. You might wanna watch how you talk to me...She could hear Shemar in it.

Every now and again, when Zori talked to her, when he played with her...he would say something that he'd said. Every time, she heard the violence first and it froze her. Fumie knew Zori and Shemar weren't the same. She knew the Zo would never hurt her...and she reminded herself of that fact as she tapped back in, her brief reminders becoming shorter and shorter as she got further away from the reality of having Shemar in her life.

"Hey. You started it-," her lips curled as she cut a bit of her omelet with her fork, putting it in her mouth. Delicious, as always...but still not as yummy as the thought of...

"I'm just saying, you've had a busy morning. Talking sense into our son, your run, talking sense into me-," she stood up then, approaching Zo as he watched her carefully over the rim of his mug. His smirk matched her mischievous one as she continued her flirt. "I think you...should finish your breakfast-" she tilted his cup up and he took a sip, eyes still glued to hers. And I think I should go upstairs and run us a shower."

Fumie leaned into him then, her body pressing further into his as the hand not holding his tea wrapped around her waist. Her hands rested on his chest and she let them trail down his body with her next words, "I think I'll wait for you there and think about how I want to help you relax after the morning you've had...-," her fingers played at the band of his shorts. Fumie was being careful not to do what she wanted and grab his...she wanted the tease. She liked watching him melt under her.

Her lips were at his jaw as he leaned against the counter and she spoke against him, placing short sweet kisses along his face until she found his lips, "...and by the time you get upstairs the shower will be all steamy and I'll be hot and dripping wet..." Fumie let her words trail off, pushing away from him. She was going to leave him thinking about what she would do while she waited for him...although she could tell from the look in his eye, she wouldn't be waiting long. She switched up on him, her tone turning from the dark seduction it held seconds ago to a cheerful, innocent one.

"And we can get you all clean, yeah? See you in a minute?" Fumie tapped his nose with her finger before turning for the stairs. Yeah. She would see him in a minute, alright.