It's Sunday night, and you attempt to get Misaki ready for bed, since she has preschool the next day. She always goes to bed excited, knowing she'll get to see her friends the next morning. Misaki never has any trouble falling asleep, which you are thankful for.

"Good night, honey." You bend down and kiss her forehead before you bring the blanket up to her chin. You smile at her, and stare at her for just one moment. She's the only thing keeping you going. She has been for a while.

"Night night, mommy." She says. You straighten yourself before walking out of the room, turning off the light on your way out. You gently close the door and sigh.

You're worried she isn't sleeping well, although she seems like she has been. She doesn't come to you in the middle of the night anymore, like she always did while living at your father's. And maybe she likes it here better. The room is more fit to her liking and perhaps that's it.

You walk to your room and find that Megumi's nursery door is open. You peek in to find Toji holding his son, just as to be expected. You don't stand and stare for too long, instead you walk away to your room.

You begin to get ready for bed, changing into your pajamas and doing your night skincare routine. After you brush your teeth, you walk back to the bedroom to find Toji sitting on the edge of his side of the bed.

"I left a paper on your nightstand with what you have to do tomorrow. I know you know how to take care of a baby but I just want you to know the times and stuff." Toji speaks up. You immediately notice the folded piece of paper that's on the corner of the nightstand.

"Alright." You respond as you walk to the bed. You sit down on the bed and check your phone.

"Misaki is going back to preschool tomorrow?" Toji asks out of nowhere. You look at the man.

"Yeah she hasn't gone in a while. She's really excited to see her friends." You reply.

"She told me." Toji says in a half-laugh. And you like it. You like this side of him because he's not as cold. He's cold towards you, but not toward your daughter. He makes a bit of conversation. It's nice. You like it. "She's really talkative. She asked me to play with her dolls while Megumi napped."

"Yeah, that's Misaki for you. If she likes you she'll hold up her dolls and give you puppy dog eyes until you agree." You tell him, and he chuckles. You don't ask her if she played with him, because you know he did. You saw them. And you saw a big smile on your daughter's face, one you don't see as often, which causes a tug on your heartstrings.

You tell yourself that you're the only person she needs, but in the end it's up to her. And it's clear that you aren't. She misses him – Or at least a figure that is similar to his.

"Toji..." You begin, and he hums in response. He waits for what you have to say. "I know that we don't exactly get along, and I know you treat her right but I need you to promise something."

"What?"

"Please don't ever hurt her." You look him straight in the eye. "Her father already did enough of that. She doesn't understand it but she's clearly hurt by it because she doesn't see him anymore."

"I promise I will never hurt your daughter." He responds.

"That also means no more assasination attempts." You attempt to joke, but he doesn't find the joke funny. He stands up and takes off his shirt before laying down on the bed, facing away from you.

"I'm meeting with Jin Itadori tomorrow." You announce which causes him to sit up on the bed and stare at you. His eyes bore into your head.

"When and what for?" He asks, wondering if you were planning on taking Megumi out without informing him. He watches as you put your feet on the bed. You turn your head to him to speak.

"At noon. He wants to talk to me about something... Not sure what." You inform him. "I'm using it as my opportunity to put in a good word for us. Make sure what he writes is perfect before the article is published."

"The article is bound to be published soon... So I guess you gotta do what you gotta do." He sighs. "Make sure to wear something that's... Revealing."

"Jin is not a pervert."

"Are you sure? He was nearly undressing you with his eyes at our wedding." Toji says, informing you of what he noticed. Maybe Toji was looking too deep into things– No, he knows what he saw. "It won't hurt you."

"What about the nurturing and modest mother image your uncle wants me to create?" You question.

"Fuck my uncle." Toji responds. "Not literally."

-

You and Toji wake up at the same time, and both of you have one thing in mind. He goes to his son's room, while you go to your daughter's.

"Misaki, wake up honey." You kiss her cheek a couple of times before running your hand up and down her arm. She opens her eyes slowly, taking in the bits of sunlight that are visible in the slight gap of the curtains. She blinks slowly as she sits up, before rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Good morning, baby."

"Good morning, mommy." She responds. She gets the blanket off her and walks out of the room. She knows the routine before going to school. Just because you had moved, nothing would change. Except things are now in a different place.

While she begins to get ready, you look for outfits that she can put on. You let her decide each morning, narrowing things down to two to three options because otherwise it'll take too long.

Once you pick, you set the outfits down on the bed, and walk to the bathroom door and knock. "Do you need any help, honey?"

"No, mommy!" She responds. You smile, slightly hurt because as she grows she becomes more independent– It's a good thing but you can't help but feel a certain way.

You walk away to your room, to begin getting ready yourself. Except Toji beat you to it.

The bathroom door is open, and you see him looking in the mirror, careful not to cut himself as he shaves his stubble. You watch from a distance for a bit before you hear some cooing which catches your attention. You walk a bit to find baby Megumi on the floor. He holds some baby toy for a bit before putting it in his mouth.

"I need to use the bathroom." You announce, and Toji doesn't even bother looking your way. He taps the razor against the sink before continuing. For a minute he doesn't say anything.

"What are you doing? Can't you see there's another sink here, or do you not need to get ready?" He tells you in an annoyed tone which makes you want to hit him. You walk over and begin getting ready as well.

Toji finishes in the bathroom quickly, and walks back to the room, to go to the closet and pick his outfit for his first day at his job. When you walk out of the bathroom, he's undressing and putting on his outfit. And you hate yourself because your eyes can't help but linger on his well-toned body.

Your brain reminds you that you have to change as well. While you look for clothes he speaks up, "You know we only have one car for the time being."

"Okay..." You answer, a bit confused on why he's reminding you of the fact.

"How are you going to drop Misaki off at preschool?" He asks.

"I have two legs and two feet, Toji. How else?" You answer, and he clicks his tongue.

"You know Megumi is a big baby to handle. He'll tire you out five minutes into the walk."

"There's a stroller, isn't there?" You reply. There's a couple of seconds of silence, where you finally catch on. Before he gets the chance to speak up, you open your mouth. "Do you want to take Misaki to school? Is that why you're doing all this?"

"Yeah... You're doing me a favor so I guess it's best for me to return it somehow..." He admits.

"How do I know that you won't try to hurt her?" You are quick to say. The words were the first thing that went through your mind, but you didn't intend to say that out loud so fast. But he can't blame you. He feels slightly offended though, but he won't voice it.

"I promised you I would never hurt her, didn't I? I'm a man of my word." He says, making you want to burst out in a fit of laughter. A man of his word? It doesn't seem like it. "I promise to take her there safely, and if she gets a scratch while under my care, you can hurt me all you want."

You're hesitant because he has never given you a reason to trust him... You barely know him for a matter of fact. But he trusts you enough to take care of Megumi, so why can't you?

Although trusting a nanny and you is the same thing because you both are strangers. He has no other option, but you do. You can choose to walk your daughter to her school.

You don't give him a response before you go to the bathroom to change. When you come out, your daughter is in the room, on the floor trying to get baby Megumi's attention. Toji sits on the edge of the bed, watching the kids while also putting his socks on.

"What's your response?" He questions, not bothering to look up at you. You sigh as you look at your daughter.

"Honey, would you feel comfortable if Toji took you to preschool?" You ask, and she looks up at you.

"Yeah!" She exclaims, visibly excited.

"That's my response then." You look at Toji. He looks back at you for a split second before picking up his baby from the floor. You don't bother to stay around, knowing you still have to prepare breakfast and Misaki's lunch box.

-

"You know what to do honey: respect your teachers and your classmates, unless they disrespect you first. Behave. Listen. Have fun." You tell Misaki as you kiss her forehead, bending as much as you can since you hold baby Megumi in your arms. She looks so adorable with her backpack that's twice her size, and her lunchbox. "I love you, Misaki."

"Bye-bye, mommy." She says, waving at you. She then waves at baby Megumi, and he just looks confused. He isn't sure what she's doing. "Bye-bye, Megumi."

Toji opens the front door, but he doesn't leave yet. He kisses the top of his son's head, and smiles at the baby. "I love you, Megumi."

Megumi coos in response, and Toji takes it as an "I love you too". Toji looks at you, and you look back. You don't share a smile with each other. He speaks, "Please take good care of him."

"I will. Please take good care of her." You respond, and he gives you a slight nod. He turns to the door, and you watch as he begins to walk, signaling your daughter to follow. "Drive safe!"

Misaki follows the man blindly, and before she knows it, he comes to a stop. He opens the backseat door, and turns to her with a smile on his face. She gets in without taking her backpack off.

"Wouldn't it be more comfortable if you took off your backpack?" Toji asks and she nods as she takes it off and puts it on the middle seat, along with her lunch box. Once that's put on the side, Toji puts her seatbelt on before closing the door and walking to the driver's seat.

He gets in and starts the car. He doesn't bother putting music on, not feeling the mood to listen to kids tunes. He could play some of his music but if Misaki would dare to repeat something back to you, you'd kill him.

He didn't know you well enough to know the type of mother you were, but he just feels that you would overreact to your daughter saying some sort of profanity. Misaki hums her own tune so he doesn't bother too much either.

He knows where the preschool is. In fact, he used to live near it and swore that his children would go to that same school. It did shock him that out of all places it's that place.

"You alright, Misaki?" Toji asks, a couple of minutes into the drive. He looks at her through the rearview mirror, and he sees her looking out the window, kicking her feet.

"Yes, Mr. Toji." She answers.

"Misaki, you don't have to call me mister. We live together." He says. "You can just call me Toji."

"Okay." She responds.

Once again silence overtakes the car. Toji has a couple of questions for the child but they aren't the most appropriate to ask. He doesn't want her to feel sad because of his curiosity. But it's evident that she misses him.

"Do you love your mommy, Misaki?" Toji questions, and he knows the answer.

"I do! So much!" She answers. And he regrets it but he lets his curiosity get the best of him.

"Has she always been alone?"

"No... Daddy was with us. I wonder where he is." She shrugs, not really paying much mind to the topic.

"Do you... Miss him?" He regrets it immediately when that question rolls off his tongue.

"I don't know... He made mommy cry a lot." She responds. She's so young but she can't help but feel some sort of guilt because she misses someone who caused her mother so much pain. If she says she doesn't know, she can't get shamed. "And I love mommy a lot."

"It's fine if you miss him, Misaki. Your mommy won't mind." Toji assures her, but she doesn't say anything else. There's silence until they get there. He parks and gets out of the car, to go to her door and open it for her. She takes off her seatbelt, grabbing her backpack and lunchbox before exiting the car. Toji closes the door and follows her.

She walks ahead, confidently going to the main entrance and Toji follows behind. She walks faster than he thought. They enter the building, and eyes fall on Toji. He's scarier than he thought, he thinks. He follows Misaki until she stops at her classroom, her teacher waiting outside.

She greets Misaki with a warm smile, before she looks at Toji. She looks him up and down, wondering who the hell he could be. He's not Misaki's father, because she has seen the man before.

"Good morning." She greets Toji since it's the polite thing to do. "May I ask what your relationship to Misaki is."

"I'm her stepfather." Toji answers, which causes her to nod.

"Oh, that's good news! Didn't expect to see you so soon. Misaki told me that her mother was getting married." She shares, and Toji nods. He has some time to spare, after all, he did leave the house extra early. "Have you heard from her father?"

"I forget his name-" Toji attempts to recall, looking at the ground and gently snapping his fingers so it barely makes any noise. He plays as if he knows, but in reality he doesn't. He doesn't know Misaki's last name, he just knows yours. "Mister... mister..."

"Mr. Kong." She tells him, and Toji has heard that before. He knows the last name isn't Japanese though. "He was very nice and he loved Misaki so much. It shocked me to hear that he left."

"Yeah... I guess you never really know what's going through someone's mind. Misaki is better off without him."

-

"Alright, Megumi, which toy do you want?" You hold up two toys. A giraffe and a fish. Megumi holds his little hand out to grab the giraffe. He sits on the floor, as you put the other toy away.

You're meeting with Jin soon enough, so you have to get going. Megumi's bag is ready, and you're almost ready to go. You just have to get the stroller out the door, and you'll be on your way.

"You already had your bottle, and I burped you so... I guess your nap is coming up next." You speak to the baby, as you walk back to him to pick him up from the floor. You go downstairs and get the stroller, pushing it out the front door before putting baby Megumi in.

He plays with his toy while you walk to the café which supposedly is a ten minute walk from your home. Megumi is not so engrossed with his toy, once he notices the blue sky and the fluffy clouds that adorn it. It catches his attention and he looks up, putting his little hand up. A little "ah" escapes his lips.

"I know it's fascinating, Megumi, but you can't touch it even if you try your hardest. I can't touch it either." You tell the baby, but of course he doesn't understand. But his focus shifts, and he notices the crown of trees, and they disappear quickly.

You get there in about eleven minutes, and you take a seat. You don't care to get a coffee, but you do get a cinnamon roll before taking a seat. Megumi is still in his stroller since the café doesn't have highchairs.

You take tiny bits of the roll and give them to Megumi to munch on. His eyes widen and he wants more, liking the taste of the food on his tiny tongue. You laugh and give him a bit more.

"It's good, isn't it?" You say. Your focus is all on the baby that you fail to notice the man that has approached your table. It's not until he clears his throat, that you notice his presence. You quickly stand up and extend your hand for him to shake. "Mr. Itadori, pleased to see you again."

"Mrs. Zenin, the pleasure is all mine." Jin responds. "Please call me Jin."

"Alright, Jin, please call me by my first name as well." You tell him. You both take a seat, and it's clear that he also doesn't wish for coffee. You offer him some of your cinnamon roll but he refuses.

"I see that the baby has taken a liking to it." Jin comments and you agree with a laugh. "I also have one at home so I might have to try and give him some."

"Really? How old?" You ask.

"Seven months." He answers, which surprises you. "His first tooth is already coming in, I don't know where the time goes."

"I bet he's so adorable like my baby Megumi." You share, hoping that calling Megumi your baby will make things a bit more convincing.

"He is..." Jin says before clearing his throat again. "I came here to ask about your marriage with Toji."

"What about it?" You act oblivious as to why he might be asking that. As if it isn't forced.

"Something just seemed off and I wanted to ask... I'm sorry if it offends you." He tells you. He's right, something is off. Everything. But you can't let him know that. He can't know about this. The whole point of this is to clean up the Zenin reputation, and telling him the truth would do the exact opposite. In the end he's just a stranger that you can't trust.

"No, it's alright- I do understand your viewpoint, but like I was just so tired at the wedding and maybe it seemed like I wasn't happy or something. Toji and I spent so much time wedding planning so we were just tired at the end." You explain, hoping that's good enough. Believable.

"Oh... alright." He replies, it wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. "How about that woman?"

"Some weirdo. Toji would never, plus he's always by my side at night." You lie.

"That's... good to hear!" Jin fakes a smile. "Are you... trying for a baby any time soon?"

"We want to wait a bit since Megumi is still so young." You respond.

You two don't say anything to each other for a good minute. All you can hear is the sound of other people's chatter. As he fidgets with his fingers, it strikes you. Toji was right. He has a slight crush on you. And you can use it to your advantage.

"So do you have a wife?" You ask, catching his attention.

"I don't. We separated not too long ago." He reveals. So he wants a rebound, you think. Or another woman his son can look up to.

"That's such a shame... Maybe..." You begin but then stop yourself. You got him going, you know. "I'm sorry. I do hope you write a good article about us. My husband and I would be delighted to see it."

You stand up and take the stroller. You take a few steps and you pull a risky move, bending down to kiss his cheek.

"You're so sweet, Jin. Thank you." You begin to walk away, pushing the stroller. You smirk.

You know he's blushing.