At night, when everyone was sleeping, I felt Akira move restlessly beside me. He suddenly clutched his stomach, a sharp shivering pain running through him. He wanted to wake me up, but his eyes drifted to the next futon where Leo was sleeping beside Yuke.
Akira got scared.
If he cried, Leo might shout at him.
So he tried to tolerate the pain.
After a few minutes, I felt something unusually warm against my arm. Too warm. I woke up immediately and turned toward him. His face was flushed red, his body burning, tears silently rolling down his cheeks as he tried not to make a sound.
Panic hit me.
I turned on the light and touched his forehead. My hands trembled.
Leo woke up too.
"What happened, Astra?"
I gathered Akira into my arms, my eyes already wet.
"I think Akira has a fever. We need to take him to the hospital immediately."
Leo didn't waste a second. He got up and rushed to grab his car keys. We left Yuke sleeping at Granny's place and drove straight to the nearest hospital.
At the hospital, the doctor examined Akira and gave him medicine. Akira slowly drifted into sleep, still whimpering softly from the pain.
Then the doctor looked at Leo and said,
"Can I talk to you, sir?"
All of us moved into the doctor's cabin. He was an aged man, experienced, his voice calm but serious.
"Mr. Leo, you are his father, right?"
Leo hesitated for a moment.
"Uh… yes."
The doctor folded his hands.
"You know your son has been suffering from stress for a long time."
Leo and I looked at each other in shock.
"But doctor," Leo said, confused, "what is there for a child to be stressed about?"
The doctor leaned back in his chair.
"Mr. Leo, children feel stress too. They are constantly trying to understand their surroundings, learning from them. But what happens when that environment does not allow them to feel safe?"
He paused.
"You have noticed your son is not growing properly, haven't you?"
"Yes, doctor," I said worriedly. "He is very tiny for a six-year-old and has difficulty expressing his emotions."
The doctor nodded.
"Stress slows growth even in adults. He is just a child. On top of that, he is a dominating alpha. Children like him often struggle to express emotions. They need extra care. Otherwise, they begin to suppress everything."
My chest tightened. Leo swallowed hard.
The doctor continued,
"How is your relationship, Mr. Leo and Mr. Astra? Do you argue often? Fight?"
I looked at Leo.
"We do, doctor. A lot."
Leo looked at me, shocked. He hadn't expected me to answer honestly.
"That explains it," the doctor said calmly. "Suppression, fear, stress. I also noticed he reacts strongly to loud sounds. Panic, crying. That would be common for an infant… but a six-year-old?"
He looked at me again.
"Do you know when this started?"
I glared straight at Leo.
"The reason is sitting in front of you, doctor."
The doctor sighed and turned to Leo.
"Mr. Leo, your child has a serious condition. Please change yourself. Try to be gentler with him."
He wrote the prescription, handed it to me, then leaned closer to Leo and whispered,
"If you cannot take care of the child, give him to us. We have many caretakers."
Leo stiffened.
"Excuse me… he is my child. I can take care of him."
The doctor smiled slightly.
"Good, then, Mr. Leo."
We returned home the next morning.
Leo lay beside Akira, who was still asleep under the medicine's effect. He gently held Akira's hand between two fingers, staring at it quietly.
"…Such tiny hands," Leo murmured. "Like a newborn's."
Then he looked at Yuke.
"Yuke, show me your hands."
Yuke jumped up and stretched his palms out proudly.
"Big hands, hehe."
Leo compared them silently.
"…Even Yuke's hands are so big. His fingers are smaller than Mickey's."
I was cleaning the shelf nearby.
"Because you never looked at him before, idiot."
Leo made a long face.
"You scold me a lot these days. I don't like it."
"I'm giving you the taste of your own medicine," I said coldly. "If you shout at my kids, I will shout at you."
"You are such an evil wife," Leo pouted.
"Then get lost."
Leo sighed and lay down properly beside Akira.
The next day, Leo played with Yuke and other village kids in the garden. I sat on the porch with Akira, who still felt weak from the fever.
I gently patted his head.
"Akira… don't you want to play?"
---
I shook my head gently when Akira refused and clung tighter to me.
Maybe it's the fever, I thought. He doesn't want to leave my side.
"Want to eat watermelon then?" I asked softly.
Akira nodded.
I handed him a slice, and his face lit up instantly. He stared at the watermelon for a second before taking a careful bite. I couldn't help giggling as I watched him eat so seriously, juice dripping down his fingers.
After we finished, Leo noticed us sitting together on the porch.
The moment Akira's eyes met his, his body stiffened. He immediately climbed onto my lap, arms wrapping around me in fear.
Leo froze.
I hugged Akira close. "What happened, baby?"
Leo walked toward us. I saw him coming and sighed quietly.
He bent down, forcing a cheerful tone. "Let's play, Akira!"
Akira only hugged me tighter.
"Maybe he's not in the mood, Leo," I said.
Leo frowned. "No. Today I'll play with him."
He reached out—and Akira gripped my shirt, bursting into tears.
"Leo, stop," I snapped. "You're making him cry. He's still recovering."
"I know," Leo said, frustrated, "but if he keeps running from me, how will I bond with him?"
Before I could react, he pulled Akira from my arms.
"Mama—uwahhh!" Akira sobbed.
Leo hugged him. "Come on, Akira. You always stick to your mom. Give some time to your dad too, huh?"
But Akira started trembling in his arms.
Leo noticed.
He hesitated—then handed Akira back to me.
I held him close, calming him down as his cries softened.
"Guess he really doesn't like me," Leo muttered.
I sighed. "It'll take time. Don't forget your sins."
"Yeah, yeah," Leo brushed it off