Closed it don't come so easily

[Jericah Edogawa]

Perhaps, going back to training so early after her pregnancy was not the best thing Rica could have done. But also, she had been going stir-crazy in the house with only her mother for company on most days and three crying babies. Rica loved her child, but also Sora had a tendency to cry when one of the boys was crying. And the boys tended to cry when Sora or the other was crying. And it just wasn't. Nope. Nope. She liked to think that it would have gone better with Crispin around but she was considered on lockdown and Cris on probation so even his presence was reliant on her mother's mood. And considering that she and her mother were up at all hours during the day and night for the most part, it was safe to say that her mother was rarely in a charitable mood. And so, Rica had just about enough a month ago and told Crispin in no uncertain terms that they were leaving Japan and moving straight to New Zealand. All things considered, the move had gone smoothly and since she didn't want to live off of the charity of their parents forever, she'd decided it was just about time she go pursue her career. Thankfully, the Thunderers had still let her sign on last year and she'd about surprised the team when she'd shown up for practice months earlier than expected. Practice was awful. She was out of shape and missing her child and her boyfriend because she still wasn't used to being apart even if it was just during the day. "Tadaima!" she called out as she entered their apartment. She hoped Cris was home with Sora and maybe dinner. She didn't think she had enough willingness in her to attempt to cook.​

 

[Crispin Applewhite]

Crispin had spent most of the afternoon bouncing Sora on his hip whilst attempting to do anything productive. He used magic for the most part to do most things, but he got a little scared about using magic around his child when it was something a little more than just a scrubbing charm. He had no idea what would happen if he accidentally misfired or something and he’d mostly kept his wand out of Sora’s reach too, incase the boy got curious, and he’d rather not have to explain to the love of his life, mother of his child that he’d somehow disappeared the baby into oblivion or like Latvia. So it was generally just good practice, he thought, to do magic out of the reach of their child. Sora, of course, had other plans anyway, as he usually did. H’d gone from screaming to laughing and back again at various seemingly random intervals and Cris had long given up on trying to figure out the pattern.

By the time Rica was due back, Sora had finally worn himself out for the most part and was sleeping semi peacefully in Cris’ arms. He was getting heavy and Cris was sure he would have superior arm strength to even his Beater wife eventually. Sora’s little hand had him gripped by the shirt though, so he couldn’t even really move him, and he didn’t want to anyway since he was quieter now than he had been all day. He’d just managed to get dinner on the table - okay fine, reheated left overs - when he heard Rica’s voice at the door. “Okaeri!” he called out to her, walking around the corner so he could see her. “Sorry I’d come and greet you properly, but I’ve been taken hostage,” he nodded down to Sora in his arms, still clutching onto him. “How was practice? You look like you survived, so that’s a good sign.”​

 

[Jericah Edogawa]

Rica sighed in relief at the sound of Crispin's voice that rang through their apartment, and the greeting he called back definitely brought a smile to her face. Having him around to help with Sora had been a balm that soothed since she'd basically stormed out of her family home. She chuckled softly at the picture he made with the baby in his arms, still clutching his shirt with a vice grip, and she came up to his side to give him a kiss on the cheek, a hand on his arm. It was honestly a relief that Sora had gotten so strong. Hiding her pregnancy in the early months had taken a toll on her body, and Sora had come early. He'd been so tiny then. But now, nearly a year old, even the healers had said that he was growing nicely. "It was good, I don't know if it's the time away or it's having practice the whole day compared to just a few hours every couple of days, but it's an adjustment," she said as she leaned her head against him for a moment before pulling back gesturing in the direction of the dining. "Have either of you eaten yet?" she doubted Cris did, but they had started to introduce solids to Sora just recently but he was still mostly reliant on milk.​