2025-08-08: Welcome Home Again
- Cutscene: Welcome Home Again
- Cast: Ayame Watanabe, Tohka Watanabe, Koume Watanabe, Isamu Watanabe, Ikkaku Watanabe
- Where: Watanabe Residence, Flower Castle Apartments, Aoba Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: August 8, 2025
- IC Date: Friday June 22, 2012
- Summary: After a talk with Yua Ooshiro, Ikkaku Watanabe decides to come home earlier--if still late--to his family.
Ayame looks over her daughter Koume's shoulder to see her screen, smiling as Koume shows her her Hidden Creatures. "Oh, that one..." Ayame nods thoughtfully. "You have good move coverage for its Type," she reflects.
"Yeah!" Koume answers brightly. "And he's got three perfect IVs, and..."
Ayame is on the couch with her children: Koume is seated beside her directly, then Tohka the oldest and Isamu the youngest on the other side, watching television. But whatever Koume was going to say is interrupted by the sound of the doorknob at the entryway moving.
"?," pronounces Ayame, but the door opens and it's Ikkaku Watanabe, husband and father, in his mostly dry suit with a black umbrella she doesn't recognize. Tohka has his brown hair; Koume has his purple eyes. But Isamu has his smile, and it's on display as Ikkaku steps in to take off his shoes. "I'm back!" he declares.
"Welcome home!" four voices say at once. Tohka is too cool to run to the door, but Koume stands up to wave (closing the clamshell design of her console), and Isamu hops up to run over.
"Dad, Dad!" Isamu says, and Ikkaku beams down at him. "Hey, little guy!" Ikkaku sets down his briefcase and picks his son up, lifting him up to his shoulder. "Did you get bigger today? I think you did!"
Isamu laughs happily. "No!" he says. "But I was watching a show! The dog plays baseball!"
"Ohhh, so?" Ikkaku asks. "I wonder how he gets his paws around the bat..."
"Heheh, he doesn't! He pitches!" Isamu is very proud of this anecdote. But Ayame speaks up next, "Koume-chan was just showing me her Creatures. Do you still have that spreadsheet you were working on for her?"
"Of course!" Ikkaku answers, "I'll just have to find it..."
Tohka finally deigns to join in, "You're home early, Dad." She is a /little/ sour that this counts as early.
Ikkaku gives her a lopsided look of apology. "Yeah... Sorry I've been working late so much lately. I'm thinking about how to get home more often!"
"Wellll," Tohka says, "I guess..."
It's Ayame to speak up next. "Tohka-chan, come with me? I'm going to go get dinner warmed up." Ayame rises from her seat, smiles at Ikkaku, and takes her daughter to the kitchen to pre-empt what could've been a very awkward conversation.
...Truthfully, she has some similar feelings, but she wants to just be happy he's here.
-=-=-
"So," Ikkaku says as he finishes a final bite, "One of my co-workers was telling me that she didn't agree to be 'me' when I said 'everyone has to chip in'." He laughs a little. "It took me a second to work out what she meant, but I suppose it's true. It's important to understand what's your share, and what isn't," he continues, trying to set a good example for the kids. "...But maybe I am doing too much. I'm sorry I've been so scarce."
"It's all right," Ayame says immediately, though that's not really how she feels. "...But a co-worker, hm? I guess you'd have a lot to talk about with her..."
It flies over the kids' heads, but Ayame looks a little thoughtful before Ikkaku answers, "Oh, not really. She's a part-timer; she's only there one day out of the week. She just happened to be there late today, is all."
"Oh." Ayame answers, that question sort of lingering in her heart. But before she can say anything else, Tohka chimes in, "You should listen to people when they tell you important stuff." She nods firmly. "My Daddy's not the kind of person who can't take good advice."
A laugh from Ikkaku. "Oof!" he says. "Well, I'll definitely have to make sure to live up to your standards, Tohka-chan!"
While the kids have already eaten, Isamu is busy working on some cookies Ayame gave him, and Koume is just glad to be at the table with everyone. Even so, Isamu chimes in, "Yeah! Advice!" ...He does not know what that word means.
"That's when somebody tells you something that's supposed to be helpful," Koume offers Isamu. "Sometimes it's just saying stuff for no reason, though..."
"Ah, hah," Ayame starts, "Well, at least it's well-intentioned! ...Is that where you got the umbrella?" she asks Ikkaku. "You didn't take the one I'd left out..."
"Oh, yes. Sorry about that. I didn't check the weather report..." Once again Ikkaku is chagrined, but he seems to be in good enough spirits regardless. "I had to get in early to catch up on some things," he explains.
"Of course," Ayame answers. "That makes sense." A beat, "Here, let me take your plate. OK, kids, it's time to start winding down!"
"Awww..." it's a chorus of 'awws' from the three of them, but Isamu's bedtime especially is fast approaching.
-=-=-
"They were really happy to see you," Ayame offers Ikkaku as she closes their bedroom door. "...So am I."
Ikkaku sets his tie down on the dresser, and turns around to face Ayame. "I'm glad, too. ...I am sorry. I've been trying to..."
"I was a little worried you'd been avoiding me," Ayame admits. "...Since my parents have come back into our lives, I've seen less of you. I know that coincides with how busy things have been for you at work, but..."
"Oh. Oh, no, I'm sorry," Ikkaku starts immediately, dropping what he's doing to cross the distance to Ayame and take her hands. "...I'm... I'm trying to get a promotion," he explains. "I didn't want to burden you with it, but with the new opening, maybe I can get us that stable place you wanted."
"Oh," Ayame says. "...So, it's not that this nice part-timer who gives you umbrellas happens to be... really pretty, or..."
"She's my sister's age," Ikkaku says gently. "No, it's not like that. She just gave me a spare because her driver had a spare. ...Right, a driver. She's a little of a mystery, but not one I'm looking to solve like that."
"...All right," Ayame answers, though she feels a little brittle all the same. "A driver..."
"I admit," he says, "It's been awkward with your parents coming back. I don't like how they treat you. How they have treated you. And maybe that means I'm running away, but... It's not running 'to' anyone else, all right?"
"...All right," Ayame says again, in the same intonation, but this time it at least soothes her a little more. "Well, they're not here tonight," she settles on. "So maybe..."
"Hm?" Ikkaku wonders, and then sees the hopeful look in his wife's eyes. "Oh!" he says. "Oh. ...Yes," he answers, and smiles. "Yes, 'maybe'," he answers. Squeezing Ayame's hands, he lets go to bring a hand up to her face, instead. "Rather," he starts, "Definitely."