Shadewood goodbye to my santa monica dream

@Deku

ever since the confrontation, issun avoided being near the den. it hurt, because he was desperate to see his boy but the world was against him. minori wouldn’t see him, takara moved in, and that kid was a gatekeeper. everyday he would pass by, hoping they’d be were gone. deku was the only good thing he had in this miserable place.

he was drawn to the den today, only this time the two woman were absent. the two children remained, with @Orochi fast asleep in the corner. now was the chance to see his son.

issun quietly slipped forward. a white coat glittered in the darkness. deku was still small, but there was no denying he had grown in the past few weeks. the boy’s progression made him glow with pride.

“deku.” he kept his voice to a whisper as to not wake the other sleeping child.

he had been chasing dreams when the sound of his father’s voice had roused him. the young boy lifted his head abruptly and blinked the tiredness from his eyes. turning his head, he smiled softly at the sight of his father’s dark features peering back at him. for a moment, deku was worried that orochi would have heard the commotion and woken up too, but the angry child was nestled in a small ball in the corner. that was fine – as long as he stayed that way for a short while.
 
on soft steps, the dual-colored child made his way toward issun. once he was close enough that he would not wake up his brother by speaking, the young boy looked up at the features of his father and smiled softly. “ya papa?” in the moments of pause after the query, deku did what he could to scoot closer to the shadowy man.

his tail gently swayed back and forth as the boy tip-toed towards him. excitement surged through him. he awaited the day deku was old enough to walk. now they could travel the world, he could teach him anything and everything, just like his father had done with him many years ago. it would be perfect.

issun peered into the den. orochi has still not stirred from his slumber. hey, he looked back down with a smile. would you like to go on an adventure? just you and me?

deku loved the time that he was able to spend with his father. he would often daydream of wild adventures that they could have together when he was older, of course. he knew that he was young and that there was room for maturity and strength to find him. he knew that there would come a time when he was able to stand just as tall as issun, and that was thrilling to dream of. until then, the boy devoured any moment that he could with his dad. he would take all that he could get.
 
when issun asked the young starchaser if he wanted to go on an adventure, deku peered up at the man with wide eyes and a smile that seemed to spread like wildfire across his puppy features. “do you mean it?” the boy asked, unsure if this was a trick or if the offer was true. as though he was unsure of it, deku glanced back into the den to where orochi was napping. he wondered if his brother would be angry that he had left without him. “orochi might get mad…”

deku seemed to light up at the proposition. it was such a bittersweet thing. he felt bad. issun should’ve been able to do this more often, to see that face on a daily basis. why did everything have to be so complicated now? and poor little deku. he was unaware of it all. maybe it was better that way.

of course. he ruffled the fur on his head with his nose. it’ll be alright. i’m sure he wouldn’t mind.

the boy was elated at this premise. he could feel the excitement surging through his limbs and into his paws, making them tingle. his face stretched into a wide smile, and deku did glance back over his shoulder once to peer into the den where his angry brother was resting. orochi didn’t need to know that this was happening. next time, he could join them. when he turned back to face issun, it was with glittering eyes and a wiggling rear end.
 
“where we gonna go? is it secret?” deku asked him in a hushed tone. he did his best to keep close to his father’s dark limbs. he could not help but to look up at the man with love and admiration. the star child had never felt so happy. he was getting his own adventure with his father and he could have asked for nothing more.