"I'M HOME!"
The door was all but kicked down as Steve burst into the house, announcing his presence. This was how he usually broke the ice, ever since High School.
However, instead of people appearing happy to see him, they glared at him with something close to loathing.
Steve blinked a few times, only to feel a slap on the back of his head.
"What made you think that was a good idea?" Tara admonished him, "did you think you would be welcomed after being so loud with newborns in the house?"
"Ah right…" Steve muttered in thought, "Where is my beautiful niece and nephew? It's about time they meet Uncle Stevie."
As if to announce their presence, Kenji began to cry loudly, echoing around the house. They could even hear it clearly from the lounge area, despite him being upstairs.
The looks Steve received turned even harsher as Kenji woke up. It was clear that they blamed him for waking up the sleeping child.
Chris, Tetsu, Naomi and even Yuki were glaring at him with violence in their eyes.
"Why are you here Stephen?" Yuki's cold voice asked, cutting him deeply.
Steve's eyes grew wide as saucers. This was the first time Yuki had called him his full name, but it was also the tone which she used that felt cold and foreign.
"I… I just wanted to meet the new family members." Steve stammered.
Before the conversation could continue, a tall figure appeared on the stairs. From first glance, Steve almost failed to recognize Ken who looked like he hadn't slept more than an hour in the past 2 days.
In his hands was a bundle, wrapped tightly.
Without a word, Ken locked eyes onto Steve and descended the stairs, appearing in front of Steve. He had dark bags under his eyes, looking as if he was about to fall asleep on the spot.
He held out the bundle in his hands, placing it into Steve's arms carefully. Only now did Steve notice what he'd been given.
He looked down and saw a pair of brown eyes staring back at him inquisitively, causing his mind to blank. Just as he looked up to ask Ken what was happening, he saw the guy turn on his heel and head up the stairs.
"Eh?"
Steve suddenly felt lost. He had never held a baby before, but Ken had just handed one to him before leaving without a word.
BRRRRTTT
Steve's hands vibrated as an almighty sound came from Kenji's backside. If that wasn't bad enough, the smell that assaulted his nose afterwards made him retch.
"W—What the hell man?" He looked down at the culprit who had a look of relief on his face. It was clear that the baby felt much better after filling up his nappy.
Steve's first instinct was to look towards Yuki on the couch, however…
"The daiper bag and change table are over there. Make sure you wrap it in a plastic bag before throwing out the old one." She said, pointing to the corner of the room.
"Eh? You want me to change this nappy?"
All four adults just stared at Steve with serious expressions. It was clear that they were not joking.
Feeling a fierce pressure, Steve had no choice but to swallow his complaints. He enlisted the help of Tara and took baby Kenji over to the change table, successfully undoing his daiper.
As someone who had never witnessed baby poop before, what Steve saw overwhelmed him instantly. He retched, bringing up his fingers to pinch his nose thanks to the smell.
"Don't be ridiculous, just change him already." Yuki said coldly.
What ensued was the most painful yet hilarious thing they had witnessed. While fighting not to empty the contents of his stomach, Steve struggled persistently to clean the area.
When he had finally managed to wrap up the old nappy, Kenji who was now free of his restraint, suddenly turned on the water fountain. Golden liquid was shot into the air, dousing the vicinity with pee.
As the closest person to the change table, Steve was instantly hit by the assault, becoming a victim. His quick thinking of placing his hand over the leak had spared him from being soaked, however now Kenji's clothes were wet.
Holding back laughter, the adults on the couch were enjoying the show thoroughly. What made it most entertaining was Steve's over the top reactions to something they'd all experienced before.
"Now he needs to be changed. There are some spare clothes in the bag underneath the change table." Yuki instructed, yet this time she stood up to come help.
Steve was like a drowning man who had finally found land, his relief palpable.
He learned an important lesson that day, having a baby was hard work. He could understand why Ken looked like a shell of his former self.
When Kenji was finally cleaned up, Yuki scooped him up in her arms and moved to the kitchen to warm up some milk. She was a natural, easily cradling him with one hand while she was busy with the other.
As soon as the bottle was ready, she came back over to the couch and handed Kenji to Tara gently. Not expecting to be given a baby, Tara seemed a little nervous.
However, when she placed the bottle in Kenji's mouth and saw him feeding, her heart melted. It was that moment where her feminine instincts took over.
Steve watched on and couldn't help but smile seeing how happy his girlfriend looked. Yet once she raised her head and gazed at him, Steve suddenly felt his soul tremble.
The way she was looking at him was scary. It was as if she was not Tara at all, but someone driven by pure primal instinct who wanted to steal his seed.
"Ahem…" Steve cleared his throat and mumbled something about using the bathroom before leaving the lounge area. It seemed that his visit to Ken's house had somewhat backfired.