Chapter Text
Rain poured so hard it hurt. Water splashed against the sidewalks, thunder shaking the sky while neon lights blurred through the storm. Kaiser looked miserable. “This is your fault,” Ness said while trying to shield the grocery bags under his jacket. “My fault how?” “You wanted ice cream.” “I still want ice cream.” “You’re unbelievable.” Kaiser rolled his eyes dramatically and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. Then he stopped walking. Ness blinked.
“Kaiser?” No response. Kaiser was staring toward the alley beside the convenience store. At first Ness only saw soaked cardboard and trash bags moving in the wind. Then he noticed something small curled near the wall. His stomach dropped immediately. “Oh my god…” A child. Tiny. Way too tiny. A little girl sat in the rain trembling violently, soaked from head to toe while clutching a filthy stuffed rabbit against her chest. She couldn’t have been older than two.
Kaiser moved before Ness could even think. The grocery bags hit the pavement carelessly as Kaiser crossed the alley fast. “Hey.” His voice sounded rough at first. The little girl flinched hard enough that Kaiser instantly softened. Ness hurried over beside him, kneeling down. “She’s freezing…” Up close it looked worse. Her cheeks were pale. Tiny knees scraped up. Wet curls sticking to her forehead. And nobody was there. No parent. No stroller. Nothing. Just her. Kaiser crouched slowly in front of her. “…Where’s your family?” The little girl barely looked at him. Her eyes looked exhausted. Half open.
“
cold…” she whispered weakly. Something in Kaiser’s expression changed instantly. Completely. Without another word he pulled off his coat and wrapped it around her tiny body carefully. Ness stared. “Kaiser, you’re gonna freeze.” “I don’t care.” The answer came immediately. The little girl blinked up at him silently while he fixed the hood over her wet hair. Then slowly she reached for him. Tiny fingers grabbing weakly at the front of his shirt. Kaiser froze. Actually froze. Ness noticed it immediately
because Kaiser normally hated unexpected touching. But now? He just stared at her little hand clutching him. Like he didn’t know what to do with it. “She’s burning up,” Ness whispered after touching her forehead. Kaiser’s jaw tightened. The little girl swayed tiredly where she sat. Then suddenly tipped forward. Right into Kaiser. He caught her instantly. One arm around her tiny body while the other protected the back of her head automatically.
She curled against his chest immediately for warmth. So small. Too small. Kaiser looked furious. Not at her. At the situation. At whoever left her here. Rain soaked through his hair while the little girl weakly buried her face into his neck. Then she whispered softly— “…papa…” Ness went still. Kaiser looked absolutely stunned. The little girl was probably delirious from fever and exhaustion. She probably didn’t even know what she was saying. But Kaiser stopped breathing for a second anyway. Ness looked at him carefully. “Kaiser…” “We’re taking her home.” “…That’s not exactly legal.” “I do not care.” “Kaiser” “She’s sick.” His voice came out sharp now.
Protective already. The little girl made a tiny sound against him and clutched his shirt tighter. And Kaiser immediately adjusted his hold on her gently. Like instinct. Like he’d been made to carry her. Ness watched the way Kaiser shielded her from the rain with his entire body. The way his hand rubbed slowly against her back to warm her up. The way his expression softened every single time she moved closer. Oh. Oh they were doomed. The little girl sniffled quietly in her sleepiness while still holding the ugly stuffed rabbit. Kaiser looked down at it. “That thing’s horrifying.” Her tiny grip tightened instantly. “…mine…” Kaiser blinked. Then sighed dramatically. “Fine. Keep the creepy rabbit.”
Ness snorted despite himself. The little girl’s eyes were already drifting closed again. Kaiser looked down at her for a long moment. Then quieter “Ness.” “Yeah?” “If anybody tries to take her from me, I’m biting them.” The entire car ride home was chaos. Not loud chaos. Worse. Quiet panic. Ness sat in the backseat beside the little girl while Kaiser drove significantly faster than usual through the rain. “She’s too warm,” Ness murmured again after touching her forehead.
“I heard you the first six times.” “Then drive faster.” “I am driving fast.” “You almost hit that sign.” “It moved.” “The sign did not move, Kaiser.” Kaiser clicked his tongue irritably but tightened his grip on the steering wheel anyway. In the backseat the little girl slept curled against Ness now, still wrapped in Kaiser’s expensive coat. Even asleep she refused to let go of the stuffed rabbit. Or Kaiser’s sleeve. Because at some point during the drive she’d reached forward sleepily and grabbed onto him. And Kaiser had gone completely silent afterward.
Ness noticed. Of course he noticed. Every red light made Kaiser visibly more irritated. Every tiny cough from the little girl made his jaw tighten harder. The second they got home, Kaiser was out of the car immediately. “Keys.” “You have your own keys.” “Then open the door faster.” Ness rolled his eyes but hurried anyway. The apartment was warm at least. The moment they stepped inside, Kaiser carefully took the little girl from Ness’s arms. Shockingly gentle. Like she was glass. The little girl stirred weakly against his chest with a tiny whine.
“It’s okay,” Kaiser muttered instantly before he could even think about it. Ness paused. Because Kaiser’s voice Soft. Warm. Nothing like usual. The little girl relaxed immediately hearing it. And Kaiser looked personally offended by how relieved he felt. “Bathroom,” Ness said quickly. “We need to warm her up.” Kaiser followed immediately. Usually Kaiser hated messes. Loved expensive furniture. Loved keeping things pristine.
Tonight? There were wet clothes thrown everywhere while Ness rushed to grab towels. Kaiser sat on the bathroom counter holding the little girl carefully while Ness filled the tub with warm water. “She’s tiny…” Kaiser muttered quietly. Ness looked over. Kaiser was staring down at her small hands. His expression unreadable. But his thumb kept rubbing slowly over her knuckles unconsciously.
“She probably hasn’t eaten properly in days,” Ness said softly. Something dark flashed across Kaiser’s face at that. The little girl shifted weakly before opening her eyes halfway. Sleepy. Confused. Her gaze landed on Kaiser immediately. “papa…” Kaiser looked like he got shot. Ness bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t laugh. “She thinks every man is papa right now,” Ness said carefully. “I know that.” Kaiser sounded defensive immediately. The little girl reached tiny grabby hands toward him anyway. And Kaiser immediately leaned closer. Absolutely pathetic.
Ness almost smiled. “Can you hold her while I get clean clothes?” Kaiser looked offended. “I am already holding her.” “You know what I mean.” Still, he nodded. Carefully. Ness disappeared for maybe two minutes. Two minutes. When he came back— Kaiser was sitting on the bathroom floor now with the little girl wrapped in a towel against his chest. And somehow she had fallen asleep again. One tiny hand tangled in Kaiser’s shirt. Kaiser looked down at her quietly.
Completely focused. Ness leaned against the doorway watching them. “…You’re attached already.” Kaiser didn’t even deny it. “She held my hand.” “That’s all it took?” “She’s small.” Ness laughed softly. “You’re unbelievably easy.” Kaiser ignored him completely. The little girl suddenly coughed weakly in her sleep. Kaiser’s entire body tensed instantly. “She needs a doctor.” “We’ll take her first thing in the morning.” “No. Now.” “It’s past midnight.” “I do not care what time it is.” Ness sighed. Of course. Of course Kaiser would become the world’s most insane parent within three hours.
The little girl shifted again, sleepy face pressing against Kaiser’s chest. And Kaiser visibly melted for the hundredth time that night. “…She likes me better,” he muttered quietly. Ness stared at him in disbelief. “We found her two hours ago.” “And yet.” Morning came too fast. The storm was gone, but the apartment still felt heavy with last night’s rain-soaked chaos. Ness had barely slept. Kaiser hadn’t slept at all. That much was obvious.
He was sitting on the couch with the little girl still curled up against him, wrapped in a blanket twice her size, her stuffed rabbit tucked under her chin. She looked better now. Still pale. Still fragile. But warmer. Alive. Ness walked in from the kitchen holding a glass of water and some softened bread. “She needs to eat something small first.” Kaiser didn’t look away from her.
“She hasn’t woken up properly yet.” “She will.” As if on cue, the little girl shifted. Tiny fingers curled into Kaiser’s shirt again. Then her eyes opened. Slow. Confused. She blinked up at him like she was trying to remember where she was. “…papa?” Kaiser went still. Again. Like always. Ness sighed under his breath. The little girl reached up weakly, touching Kaiser’s cheek with a shaky hand. Warm. Careless. Completely trusting. Kaiser’s expression softened immediately. “…Yeah,” he said quietly. Just that. Nothing dramatic. Just… there.
Ness paused. Because Kaiser didn’t correct her. Didn’t joke. Didn’t tease. He just let her keep it. The little girl slowly sat up a little, still clinging to him, and looked around the unfamiliar room. Her lip wobbled slightly. Ness moved closer slowly so she wouldn’t get scared. “Hey… you’re safe, okay?” She stared at him for a second. Then she burrowed straight back into Kaiser’s chest. Ness blinked. Kaiser looked faintly smug. “She likes me better.” “No she doesn’t.” “Yes she does.” “She is literally hiding from me right now.” “She’s choosing comfort.” Ness groaned quietly. The little girl peeked up again, eyes watery. “…no go?” Her voice was small. Broken in a way that made Ness’s chest tighten. Kaiser tightened his hold on her immediately.
“No one is going to make you go anywhere,” he said instantly. Firm. Certain. Like it was law. The little girl relaxed slightly. Then quietly “…stay?” Kaiser hesitated. Just for a fraction of a second. Then his hand moved through her messy hair gently. “…Yeah,” he said again. This time softer. “Stay.” Ness watched him carefully. Because that answer wasn’t casual. It wasn’t temporary. It wasn’t even logical. It was decided. The little girl finally took a tiny bite of the bread Ness offered, still half-watching Kaiser like he might disappear if she blinked too long. Kaiser noticed. Of course he did. So he adjusted her closer again. Like he was proving something without saying it.
Ness sat down beside them slowly. “You realize we have to go through proper adoption procedures,” he said quietly. Kaiser didn’t even look up. “Do it.” “That takes time.” “Then hurry it up.” Ness exhaled. “…You’re serious.” Kaiser finally glanced at him. Cold. Certain. Possessive in a way that wasn’t aggressive anymore. Just absolute. “I don’t leave things I choose.” The little girl yawned softly and leaned fully against him again, trusting him like instinct. Kaiser immediately softened again, one arm wrapping around her without hesitation.
Ness looked at them both. At the tiny child already clinging to him like she belonged there. At Kaiser holding her like he’d already decided she did. “…Yeah,” Ness muttered after a moment. “You’re definitely serious.” Outside, the world kept moving like nothing had changed. Inside the apartment, everything already had.
Days turned into weeks. And somehow, nothing in the apartment stayed the same after that night. The rain girl stayed. Not “visited.” Not “temporarily.” Stayed. The paperwork was still moving slowly through the system, but nobody in that apartment ever treated her like she was leaving. She had a name now. Softly spoken at first, like it might scare her.
But she learned it quickly enough. And she learned something else even faster— Kaiser never let go for long. She followed him everywhere. Tiny footsteps padding behind him whenever he moved through the apartment. “Kaiser—no, don’t pick her up right now—” Ness sighed, walking out of the kitchen with flour on his hands. Too late. Kaiser had already scooped her up effortlessly with one arm while she clung to his shirt like she’d been doing it her whole life. “She came to me,” Kaiser said simply. “She was literally walking to the table.” “She chose me.” The little girl giggled softly, pressing her face into his neck. Ness stared.
“…You’re insufferable.” Kaiser didn’t even deny it. He just walked past Ness like he’d won something. Which, in his mind, he had. She started sleeping through the night after a while. At first she would wake up crying. Small, lost sounds in the dark. And every time— Kaiser was the first one there. Always. Not Ness. Even though Ness was the one who usually handled everything practical.
Kaiser would just appear in the doorway like he’d been waiting for it. And then she’d reach for him instantly. “Hey,” he’d murmur quietly, lifting her into his arms. And she’d calm down. Every time. Like it was automatic. Ness noticed that. Of course he did. But he didn’t comment on it. Not when Kaiser would sit on the couch at 3 a.m. holding her until she fell asleep again, one hand gently rubbing her back without thinking.
One afternoon, Ness was folding laundry when he heard it. A loud crash from the living room. Followed by a small gasp. Then silence. He froze. “Kaiser?” No answer. Ness walked in quickly And stopped. The little girl had fallen while trying to climb onto the couch. Nothing serious. Just startled. But she was frozen on the floor, eyes wide and glassy like she didn’t understand what just happened. Kaiser was already there. Already kneeling.
Already blocking everything else out. “Hey,” he said lowly. Not loud. Not sharp. Just focused. She didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Her lower lip trembled. And then she made a small broken sound— Kaiser immediately pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay,” he said instantly. “I’ve got you.” Her hands gripped his shirt tightly. Too tight. Like panic. Kaiser didn’t even flinch. Just held her closer. And then quietly, almost absentmindedly— he pressed his cheek against her head.
“You’re fine,” he muttered. “I’m here.” Ness stood in the doorway watching. Something tight formed in his chest. Because Kaiser didn’t look like someone comforting a child. He looked like someone protecting something he could not lose. Later that night, Ness finally spoke. “She trusts you more than anyone.” Kaiser didn’t look up from the couch where she was asleep again, sprawled across his chest. “Obviously.” “That’s not normal attachment, you know.” Kaiser smirked slightly. “Good.” Ness frowned.
“That’s not” “She picked me first,” Kaiser interrupted quietly. Ness paused. Kaiser’s hand moved slowly through the little girl’s hair, careful not to wake her. Then, softer than before “…I’m not giving her back.” Ness didn’t respond immediately. He just looked at them. At the small child breathing steadily against Kaiser’s chest. At Kaiser watching her like she was the only thing in the room. And Ness realized something simple.
It wasn’t that Kaiser spoiled her. It was worse than that. Kaiser had already decided she was his. And nothing in the world was going to convince him otherwise. Midnight settled over the apartment like a heavy blanket. Quiet. Soft. Almost too calm. The only light came from the dim lamp in the living room, casting warm shadows across the couch. Kaiser was sitting there, one arm draped lazily over the backrest, the other resting near the sleeping child curled against his side. “Kai,” they had started calling her. A nickname that stuck without effort.
She slept peacefully now, small breaths steady, face relaxed in a way she hadn’t been able to do when they first found her in the rain. Ness walked in quietly from the kitchen, two glasses of water in hand. He paused when he saw them. For a moment, something old flickered in his expression. Not bitterness. Not anger. Just memory. He sat down beside Kaiser slowly. Close. Careful. Like muscle memory from another life. Kaiser didn’t move away. Ness let out a quiet breath and rested his head lightly on Kaiser’s shoulder. Neither of them said anything.
They just stayed like that. For a second, it almost felt like it used to. Before everything got complicated. Before everything became this. Kaiser tilted his head slightly but didn’t push him off. “You’re leaning,” he muttered. “I know.” “You’re heavy.” “Then move.” “I don’t want to.” Ness huffed softly, eyes closing for a moment. Silence returned. Comfortable in a way neither of them admitted out loud anymore.
Then A small sound broke it. A tiny whimper. Nothing serious. Barely there. But Kaiser’s entire body changed instantly. Gone was the calm. Gone was the stillness. He moved so fast Ness barely registered it Kaiser gently but firmly shifted Ness off him and stood. “Hey ” Ness started. But Kaiser was already walking. Straight to the small bed they had set up nearby. Ness watched him kneel beside it. Kai was still asleep. Just slightly turned onto her side, one hand loosely clutching the blanket. Kaiser checked her first. Hand to her forehead. Then adjusted the blanket. Then smoothed her hair back.
Only when he was satisfied did he relax again. “Just dreaming,” he muttered quietly. Kai shifted slightly, but stayed asleep. Kaiser stayed there a second longer anyway. Just watching. Then he stood and walked back. When he returned to the living room, Ness was still sitting there. But his expression had changed. Tighter. Less relaxed. Kaiser noticed immediately.
“…What?” Ness didn’t answer right away. Then he looked at him. “You pushed me off.” Kaiser blinked. “She needed checking.” “She was asleep.” “So?” Ness stared at him for a second longer. Then leaned back slightly, arms crossing. “…Right.” Something about his tone made the air shift. Kaiser narrowed his eyes a little. “You’re acting strange.” Ness let out a short breath that wasn’t quite a laugh. “Am I?” Kaiser sat back down slowly, but not as close this time. There was space now. Intentional space. Ness noticed that too. Of course he did.
For a moment neither spoke. The quiet filled in the gap Kai had briefly interrupted. Then Ness finally said, quieter “Do you even notice it anymore?” Kaiser didn’t answer immediately. His gaze stayed on the hallway where the child slept. “…Notice what.” Ness looked at him properly now. “How fast you move for her.” A pause. Kaiser shrugged slightly.
“She’s small.” “That’s not what I meant.” Another silence. Longer this time. Kaiser didn’t look away when he finally spoke. “…She’s mine to check on.” Ness’s expression tightened again. Not angry. Just… complicated. “…Yeah,” he said after a moment. “Figured.” And in the next room, the small child slept peacefully, unaware of how much she had already changed the two men sitting just a few steps away from each other still close, but no longer quite the same as before.
The room stayed quiet for a moment too long. Kaiser didn’t move. Ness still wasn’t facing him. Only the faint sound of the city outside filled the gap between them. Then Ness spoke again. “…Or are you trying to prove you’re not like your father?” The words landed heavier than anything else that night. Kaiser went still. Completely still. The arm that had been resting loosely near Ness’s waist didn’t tighten again but it didn’t let go either. “…What?” Kaiser said quietly.
Ness finally turned his head just slightly on the pillow. Not fully facing him. Just enough. His expression wasn’t angry. It wasn’t even sharp. It was tired. Careful. “You heard me.” Silence. Kaiser stared at him in the dark. For once, no quick comeback came. No smirk. No arrogance. Just… stillness. Then slowly, his voice came out lower.
“Don’t say things like that.” Ness let out a short breath. “It’s not an insult.” Kaiser’s jaw tightened slightly. “It sounds like one.” Another pause. Ness turned back slightly again, looking away this time. “…You’ve been different since her.” Kaiser didn’t answer immediately. Because that much was obvious. Even he knew that. But Ness continued anyway. “You’re always first now. Always the one who reacts. Always the one who takes her.” A beat.
“And I don’t know if you’re doing it because she needs you… or because you need to be needed.” That one hit differently. Kaiser’s hand finally loosened a little more. Not pulling away. Just less certain. “You’re overthinking it,” he said finally. But it didn’t sound convincing. Ness huffed quietly. “Am I?” Silence again. Longer this time. From the other room, nothing moved. Kai slept peacefully, unaware. Kaiser exhaled slowly through his nose.
“…I’m not him,” he said quietly. Simple. Flat. Ness didn’t respond immediately. Then, softer “I didn’t say you were.” A pause. Kaiser shifted slightly in bed, but still didn’t close the distance again. His voice dropped lower. “Then what are you saying?” Ness closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m saying you’re starting to decide everything before anyone else gets a chance.” A beat. “And I’m still here, Kaiser.” That lingered. In the dark. Between them. Kaiser didn’t answer right away.
His hand finally moved but instead of pulling Ness closer, it just rested there. Still there. But uncertain now. “…I know,” he said quietly after a while. And for the first time that night, neither of them moved to fix the space between them.