Story Downloaded from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net)

Title: Little Moon (#4597)
Author: isilelensar
Chapters: 6

Archive: Haikyu!!
Category: Alternate Universe
Description: Tsuki knew Kuroo had a crush on him, but then nothing ever came of it. Years later, Kuroo's back in Tsuki's life. Maybe for good. One problem: Tsuki already has someone in his life, and she was all he needed.
Published: 23 Apr 2022
Updated: 16 May 2022
Warnings:
Type: Romance
Characters: Kuroo Tetsuro, Tsukishima Kei


Chapter 1 - Chapter One

“Well, tomorrow will be an adventure,” Kei was saying to Koshi as they sat on one of the benches surrounding the playground. “I have to take Eru to the doctor for another round of vaccines and we all know how much she loves those.”
“I think I can still hear her screaming from the last round,” Suga replied, playacting covering his ears. “One thing you can rightfully claim she didn’t get from you.”
“Yeah, well, still,” Kei said, quickly moving the conversation away from Eru’s mother. It was still a bit too much to talk about. “After her check-up, we’re going for ice cream, so hopefully she’ll forgive me for the evil shots.”
“Ice cream always works.”
“Especially with lots of sprinkles.”

At that moment, two children ran by; Koshi’s seven year old son Kenji, and five year old Eru doggedly trying to catch him. The two dads laughed and waved at them, and then smiled at each other. They’d met at the playground for their kids’ biweekly playdate, which was pretty much code for: “we’re letting them run so they’ll go to sleep earlier.” Of course, it never worked. Still, it was good seeing Daichi and Koshi, and it meant Eru had friends to play with. They even took turns babysitting, which meant the kids had even more time to play.

“Hey guys,” Daichi came up to the bench, carrying one of their twins, who was sleeping on his shoulder. The other ran off to catch up to the others. “You’ll never believe who I just bumped into.”
“Oh yeah?” Koshi asked.
“Who?” Kei looked around. He didn’t see anyone familiar standing around Daichi.
Dachi grinned, but quickly caught on that whoever was supposed to be with him, clearly wasn't anymore. “Well, I guess he went back to his car for something.”
“Okay, but who was it, Dai?” Koshi asked as he stood and took their little girl from his husband and settled back down on the bench.
“Kuroo! He’s in town for a week for work.”
“Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time,” Koshi said, glancing sideways at Kei.
“I know, right? Anyway, he came in a little early and was just wandering around the park. I told him we were here with the kids, and I swear he was right behind me, but…”
“Well, we only just got here ourselves, so if he comes back, we’ll see him then.”

Kei simply smiled at his friends, but said nothing about Kuroo. Not that he could, really. There wasn’t much to be said. Kei remembered the year they met, the week long summer camp at Shinzen, Nationals. Being told Kuroo had a crush on him, but then nothing ever came of it. Even so, it wasn’t as if Kei could have done much to reciprocate. That time in his life had been turbulent, at best. He’d barely known which way was up, half the time, and the other half… well. He wasn’t sure how he even felt about Kuroo then.

He knew better now; several years too late. However, he did have someone in his life that meant the world to him, and she was all he needed.

She was Eru Tsukishima. His five year old daughter.

~*~

Kuroo was in his car, head tilted back on the headrest of his seat, half-tempted to just leave. Instead, he sighed and sat up, finding Daichi, Suga, and… Tsuki. Who’d’ve thought that his high school crush was still in town? Last he’d heard (through mutuals, of course) Tsuki was an exhibit designer for several of the more renown museums around the country. He was last seen in Ueno, overseeing several new exhibits at each museum located there.

Of course, that had been several years ago, and news through friends wasn’t always that reliable.

Looking at Tsuki now, his heart did a little flip flop. His golden blond hair was a little longer, and a bit more wavy. He certainly wasn’t the beanpole he was back in high school; he had the body of an athlete, muscular but not overdone. Like he worked out to keep in shape, not to bulk up. Kuroo really liked it. The only thing he was curious about was: did Tsuki still wear those black rimmed glasses, or had those changed, too? Did he wear contacts? Either way, Kuroo really wanted to see those amber eyes.

Kuroo sighed again. He still had the worst crush on Tsuki. It hadn’t faded in all the years between them. And since Daichi invited him back to see Suga and meet the kids, he really couldn’t be rude and leave. Even if he wanted to.

Opening the door, Kuroo got out of his car, and shut the door, pocketing his keys. He’d just started walking toward the little group, when a child’s scream tore through the air. His eyes scanned the area, until he saw a small girl break from the rest of the children, tiny golden blond ponytails bobbing as she ran. Her face was red, blotchy, and tears streamed down her cherubic cheeks. Dressed in a little yellow shirt with a huge strawberry on the front, blue shorts, and pink shoes, she ran toward Daichi, Suga, and Tsuki.

“Must be one of the Sawamura’s kids,” he said to himself. He watched to see who would console the child. But, while both had turned their attention to the little girl, neither of them moved.

Instead, it was Tsuki who stood up from the bench, knelt on the ground, and held out his arms. She darted right for him, and soon Tsuki had his arms full of crying child, holding her tight, no doubt whispering soothing words and sounds in her ear. He stood up, as if this had been a common occurrence, and sat down on the bench, setting the little girl on his lap and reaching into a bag to bring out a pack of wipes. He gently rubbed her little face, all while making sure she wasn’t truly hurt. When he was finished, and had tickled the little girl into laughing, he kissed her cheek, and she hopped off his lap and ran back to her friends.

Kuroo wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Was that little girl one of Tsuki’s cousins? Maybe she was a niece? But no, that didn’t quite fit, either. The child’s hair was the same color as Tsuki’s, and he’d be willing to bet she had the same amber eyes… No. She couldn’t be a niece or a cousin. That little girl had to be Tsuki’s daughter. There were too many similarities between them, at least in looks. But when…? Clearly any information he’d been given about Tsuki wasn’t correct in the slightest. A daughter?

His brain scrambled, but he was able to muster the motivation to walk over to the bench. He was definitely curious now, that’s for sure.

~*~

“Kei, are you alright?” Koshi asked quietly, after Daichi saw Kuroo and went to go meet him. “You went quieter than usual after Dai mentioned Kuroo.”
“What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine,” he replied, coming up out of his thoughts. He smiled gently at Koshi. “I was just… remembering.”
“Yeah. Hadn’t really been able to catch up with him since we all graduated. Guess life just kinda swept us all along.”
Kei snorted. “Very philosophic of you, Sensei.”
“Yeah, well, they’re almost here. At least try to look friendly.”
“I’m always friendly!” Kei muttered under his breath. And then it was too late to return fire. Daichi had walked up with Kuroo alongside him.
“Found our wandering kitty cat,” he slapped Kuroo on the shoulder. “Kuroo, I’m sure you remember Koshi, my husband?”
“Sure do! Good to see you again, Suga!” He held out his hand. “Or, well, I guess I should call you Sawamura-san?”
Koshi laughed and shook his hand. “Suga is fine. Or you can call me Koshi. How’ve you been, Kuroo?”
“Eh, can’t complain. Call me Tetsuro. Anyway, life has been pretty much non-stop here.”
“I bet.”
Daichi chuckled and there were a few beats of silence before he turned toward Kei. “Umm… do you…”
“Hello, Tsuki,” Kuroo said quietly. “It’s good to see you, again.”
“Kuroo-san,” Kei nodded politely, and then turned his face back toward the playground, looking for his daughter. He found her; she was scream-laughing as Kenji pushed her on one of the swings. If he happened to notice Kuroo’s smile fading a little, he refused to acknowledge it.
“What did I tell you?” Koshi whispered and elbowed him.
“Ow!” Kei rubbed his upper arm and glared at his friend. Then he sighed and looked up at Kuroo again. “I’m sorry. It’s good to see you, too.”

The talk afterward was largely just catching up and meeting the kids. Well, most of them, anyway. Eru was determined to finish her sand castle, after tiring of the swing, and Kenji stayed with her. Koshi pointed his eldest son out to Kuroo, but left it up to Kei to “introduce” his daughter. Kei stayed silent. This was something Kuroo didn’t know about. At least, he shouldn't know about it. Only his immediate family and former teammates knew about Eru. And Kei was determined to keep it that way.

So, he shouldn’t have been at all surprised when three pairs of eyes were trained on him. Kuroo's eyebrow lifted and his head tilted toward the kids. He must’ve seen Eru running to him a little bit ago. Damn it.

“She’s my daughter,” he said softly, but defensively.
“She’s cute. Just like her dad.”
“Thank you,” Kei mumbled, feeling his face heat with a blush, and looking at his daughter again. Then, "I'm sorry, Koshi, but we need to go."
Koshi looked at him knowingly. Just like Sugamama to know when one of his chicks was fleeing the nest. So to speak.
“We’ll see you both for dinner tomorrow night, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Kei replied with a small grin. He packed up Eru’s bag, and then stood up. He bowed to the three of them. “See you two, and the kids, later.”
“Call me later,” Koshi said lightly, though his tone brooked no refusal. Koshi was almost worse than Kei’s own mother, sometimes. Still…
“I will.” He bowed once more, and then went to retrieve his little girl, who was already running toward him, arms wide and a sunny smile on her face.

~*~

Kuroo watched Tsuki pack his bag (the old red one he remembered seeing Kei with during training camps years ago), and then practically run toward the playground. Well, not so much run, as take really long steps to outpace anyone, should they choose to try and follow him.

“Was it something I said?” he asked Daichi, who shrugged with a confused expression.
“I don’t think so,” Koshi replied. “I could explain things to you, but it’s really not my story to tell.”
“If you were trying to stop me from being curious, you failed.”
“I’m just saying,” Koshi said with a sly grin. “If you’re really that desperate to find out more, you’re going to have to do it yourself.”
“And from the look of it, you’ll have your work cut out,” Daichi added. His friend looked at him with speculation. “You still have a crush on him, don’t you?”
“Can’t really fool you, can I?”
“Not when it’s written all over your face, Tetsuro,” Koshi said knowingly.

Kuroo chuckled quietly, and sat down on the part of the bench that Kei vacated. He turned his gaze toward Tsuki, who had picked up his daughter, settled her on his hip, and started toward the bus stop. He smiled as she talked to him, and laughed when she made an adorable little face. She had his hair, and his eyes, but her entire personality (from what he's seen so far) was totally opposite of Tsuki’s. She was an outgoing, dramatic, tiny ray of sunshine. Tsuki kept to himself a lot, even when they’d spent time together with Bokuto and Akaashi. He was quiet, only really talked when spoken to, and was very… insular, for lack of a better word.

But watching Tsuki as he walked away with his daughter, he smiled brightly, was more animated than Kuroo had ever seen him, and there was a little spring to his step.

“She’s his entire world,” he heard Daichi say, and Kuroo forced himself to look at his two friends. They were both watching the pair, as well, but in a more protective, parental, way.
“Just so you know, you’re the only one outside of his family, all of us, to find out about Eru. Kei wants to keep it that way.”
Kuroo raised an eyebrow. Koshi had said it kindly, but the warning was clear. Still, his curiosity had reached an all-time high.
“Even when she starts school?”
“He’ll jump that hurdle when he comes to it,” Daichi said. “Until then, you’re sworn to secrecy.”
“Fair enough,” Kuroo relented. He slowly rose to his feet, and turned to catch his last glimpse of the father/daughter pair as they boarded the bus. “Thanks for inviting me over. It was really good seeing you two again.”
“It was good seeing you, too,” Daichi replied with a smile. He reached out to shake his hand. When they let go, Kuroo shook Koshi’s hand, as well.
“We’re having a little dinner party tomorrow night,” Koshi said, a peculiar glint in his eye.
“Koshi…” Daichi tried to stop him, but it didn’t work.
“Why don’t you come over?”
Even Kuroo knew when to step carefully. “I mean, I would love to, but Tsuki…”
“Tsuki and Eru won’t be the only ones there. This is something our old team does once a month. It’s our turn to host. We’d be honored if you could join us.”
Kuroo grinned. “What time should I show up?”
“Seven o’clock. Dinner at eight. If you want anything alcoholic, you’ll have to bring your own.”
“Noted.” He checked his watch, and then waved at them. “I gotta get going. See you tomorrow night.”

~*~

Later that night, while Eru was sleeping, Kei was sitting at the table, slowly paging through an older digital photo album on his tablet. He’d put it together himself, using what photos he’d managed to take throughout high school, and various family functions. He stopped on a few pictures, lightly touching beloved faces, some of which would be forever gone from his, and Eru’s, life.

Just as he reached the pictures of his teammates, he heard tiny, shuffling, footsteps. He looked up to see Eru standing in the doorway, rubbing an eye, and dragging her favorite blanket. Kei put down his tablet and held out his arms. Eru toddled forward and when she was within reach, held up her arms. Dutifully, he picked her up and onto his lap.

“Daddy still awake?”
“I am,” he answered, gently rocking her. “Did you have a bad dream, baby?”
“No. Not sleepy.”
“Did daddy keep you awake?”
She sleepily shook her head and yawned. Then, she caught sight of the tablet, and the picture on it.
“Who that?” she asked, pointing a small finger at the smiling tangerine.
“His name is Hinata,” Kei replied, smiling. “You’ve met him, remember?”
“He flies!”
“He does, indeed.”

They spent a little more time going through pictures, Eru pointing at various players and asking who they were. She clapped tiny hands when he showed her pictures of her “uncles” Daichi and Koshi. He also had to explain why Kenji and the twins weren’t there, and she nodded as if she understood.

Resting his chin on her head, he let her swipe through pictures, listening to her as she told her own little story about his teammates. Until she stopped. He blinked and looked down at the picture she was staring at.

“Who that?” she asked, her little finger touching a very familiar face.
“His name is Kuroo-san,” he said simply, grinning at the picture of Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi.
“Kuroo-san,” she repeated the name, looked up at him, and touched his face. “Daddy likes him?”
He could only nod, not quite trusting that his voice wouldn’t crack if he admitted it out loud.
“Eru likes him, too,” she said decisively.
“You haven’t even met him,” he told her. Still, she patted his face, and then looked back at the picture.
“Eru likes him, too, Daddy.” Said no less decisively than before.
Kei kissed the top of her head, and then held her tight as he stood up. He carried her to her room, and tucked her back in bed.
“Story!” she demanded.
“I already told you one, baby. It’s time for sleep.”
“Story, Daddy. Please?”
“Eru…”
“Please?”
Kei was weak against her cute pleading. “Okay. What would you like to hear?”
“How Daddy met Kuroo-san!”
He walked right into that one. Thinking fast, he settled on the floor, next to her child-sized bed, and began to tell her all about ‘How Daddy met Kuroo-san.’

~*~

“You still have a crush on Kuroo, don’t you?” Koshi asked him during their phone call.
“I guess so,” Kei admitted quietly. “I thought I’d forgotten…”
“Liar,” Koshi chided gently. “You might’ve been stone-faced the whole time, but your eyes…”
“Shut up,” Kei replied, feeling his face heat up with embarrassment. “Alright, so I never forgot him. But Koshi, it’s been years! And now, there’s Eru. I don’t think…”
“Well, that’s your problem, right there,” Koshi interrupted him. “You’re overthinking things. He already knows about Eru, at least as far as her being your daughter.”
“And that was a total accident!”
“Well, maybe it was a good accident.”
“A good accident? There’s never a good accident.”
“What I meant was that maybe you should let him in. It was painfully obvious that he hasn’t forgotten you, either, and… Well.”
“What are you up to Koshi?”
“What makes you think I’m up to anything?”
“How long have we known each other?”
“Point taken. My advice, take it or leave it, is to just see where things go between you two. Let him in. Who knows? It may lead to your own little family.”
“I don’t know.”
“Kei, you’ve walled yourself away for far too long. Just try.”
Kei sighed. “Fine. I’ll think about it.”
“That’s a start, at least.”
“Whatever, Mom.”
“Think you can make it over a little earlier tomorrow night?”
“I guess. Shouldn’t be a problem. But why?”
“I need a little help getting it all put together, and the twins want to play with Eru.”
“Not Kenji?”
“He’s with his cousins tonight.”
“Got it. What time?”
“6:30.”
“We’ll be there.”
“Alright, thanks! See you then.”
“See ya.”

Kei hung up and put the phone down on the kitchen table, picking up a mug of hot cocoa. As he sipped, he smiled to himself. So, Kuroo never forgot about him, either, huh? Did he still have that crush, too? If so, would he do anything about it this time?

Koshi was an unabashed meddler and matchmaker, and he suddenly turned his efforts on Kuroo and himself. Well… maybe he was right, too, about letting someone else into his life, that wasn’t a member of his team or part of his immediate family. Would it be so bad if it were Kuroo? More importantly, would Kuroo like Eru? Kei was a little selfish this afternoon, leaving before letting the two of them meet each other properly. Still, he considered Eru’s reaction to Kuroo over a simple photograph. His daughter decided she liked Kuroo. It would be nice if Kuroo returned the sentiment.

Well.

As usual, Koshi (aka: Sugamama), proved himself the team mother and clearly also the team psychiatrist. Kei would follow his advice, starting with telling Kuroo the full story about his parentage of Eru.


Chapter 2 - Chapter Two

“Dinner smells wonderful, already,” Kei said by way of greeting as soon as Daichi answered the doorbell.
“Come on in,” Daichi replied, moving aside for them to enter. Kei grinned at him and walked in, Eru’s little hand holding onto his fingers. “Koshi’s in the kitchen,” he said, taking Eru’s bag from Kei, and crouching down to Eru’s level. “Did you pick out your dress yourself?” he asked gently, smiling as she held out the hem of her purple and white gingham pinafore.
“Daddy helped!” she exclaimed proudly. “Eru picked shoes!” and she lifted one foot to show him her favorite pair of hot pink sparkly sandals.
“Very pretty!” Daichi praised her, looked up and winked at Kei, who was pulling a tiny pair of pink panda slippers out of her bag. “Do you know what we do before stepping up into the house?”

Eru squealed, turned and held up her hands for the slippers. She turned again, gingerly sat down, and began to attempt taking off the sandals. Daichi and Kei chuckled as she struggled with the little buckle. Moments later, Koshi poked his head out from the kitchen.

“Oh good, you’re here,” he said and gestured for Kei to hurry up. “Dinner’s mostly prepped, but I still need help with dessert. And then we need to get cooking.”
“Right.”

Kei toed out of his dress shoes and stepped into one of the pairs of slippers offered to visitors. He bent to kiss Eru’s head, and then stepped up into the house, leaving her with Daichi. Following Koshi into the kitchen, he went to the table and sat down. Koshi quickly gave him a cutting board, a knife and a vegetable peeler, and a large bowl each of veggies and fruit.

“I need the baby potatoes cut in halves, the carrots and parsnips cut into inch-and-a-half pieces, and the zucchini peeled in ribbons.”
“Yes, sir!” Kei saluted, and started with the potatoes. “What are we having, anyway?”
“Pot roasts,” Koshi answered. “Which are already in the roaster.” He opened it, and steam rose out of it, filling the kitchen with a lovely, beefy smell. He checked the roasts, and then replaced the lid. “Still need a little bit longer, and then once you’re done with the veggies, we’ll pop them in the oven for roasting.”
“I can’t wait to dig in,” Kei told him, slicing another potato.

The Sawamura’s house was like most Japanese homes, except in the kitchen. Unlike most homes, Daichi and Koshi had bought a western convection oven and had it installed. They did this mostly because it made cooking for their large family much easier. And because tonight was their night to host the old team for their monthly dinner and get-together, the oven was seeing a lot of use.

Kei quickly finished the potatoes, and handed them off to Koshi, who sprinkled in herbs, spices, and drizzled olive oil over them. That’s when he noticed the glass bowl with a damp towel over the top.

“Fresh bread, too?”
“Of course! Gotta have bread to sop up the gravy.”
“Sure, sure. But also just eating bread.”
“That, too.”
“I’ll need your recipes before we leave.”
“They’re written for six to eight servings.”
“I can redact them.”
“Oh, shoot! I forgot to ask: will Eru eat any of this?”
“Koshi, she’s been over here since she was a baby. You know what she likes and doesn’t like almost as well as I do.” He grabbed a bunch of carrots and started halving them. “Why are you even asking me that?”
“I mean, I do know, but I couldn’t remember about the parsnips.”
“She’ll eat them. She likes your food.”
“Okay. Crisis averted.”
Kei snorted. “Some crisis.”
“Anyway,” Koshi said as Kei chopped the carrots into the required size. “I invited Kuroo for dinner.”
Kei almost lopped off a finger. “What?”
“I invited Kuroo. He’ll be here at seven.”
“Koshi…”
“In my defense, I did try to stop him,” Daichi said as he stepped into the kitchen and joined Kei at the table, taking the bowl of fruit from him. Koshi handed over another knife and gave his husband instructions.
“Clearly, not hard enough,” Kei muttered. Finished with the carrots, he handed them over to Koshi. “Did you not think I could do it myself?”
“Do what, talk to Kuroo? And when were you going to do that?”
Kei growled. “I’d have done it. Soon. Maybe.”
“Uh huh. You’d have dragged your feet and found any possible excuse to postpone telling him everything. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re…” Daichi leveled a look at him. “You’re not wrong. But Koshi…”
“I invited him here because he’s our friend, and you know how much our team has been friends with Nekoma. Since he’s in town, it only made sense to have him join us. As for your part, that’s still up to you. But I strongly suggest you take the opportunity being presented. You don’t know when you’ll see each other again if you don’t.”

Kei didn’t say anything to that, and began work on the parsnips. He was about half-way finished when Eru ran in looking messy and bedraggled. She held out her dress, stained with… well, he hoped it was just water, and her twin tails had all but come down. One ribbon was missing. She wasn’t crying, not yet, but she was clearly about to start wailing. Koshi took the veggies from him. Kei stood and went to pick her up.

“What happened, Eru?”
Tears started falling, and she started fisting her eyes. “Twins played in water.”
Cue Daichi also rising from the table. Kei followed him out, but turned down the hall toward the bathroom, Daichi would have already left her bag in there.
“Eru, didn’t I tell you to try and stay clean?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“But you didn’t.” She shook her head and started sniffling.

Kei set her down and knelt on the floor, picking up her bag and fetching the spare dress out. She took one look at it and almost started to protest, but Kei gave her a stern look. He began to change her clothes. When he was finished, he gently cleaned her face, and restyled her hair into a french braid. Finally done, he turned her around to look at him.

“Try not to get messy again, okay, Eru?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
“You can still play, just be very careful.”
She nodded calmly. Kei smiled and tickled her, and then opened the bathroom door so she could go back to play with the twins. As he closed the door to change his shirt, he heard her little voice say, “You’re Kuroo-san! Daddy likes you!”

Kei decided he was never leaving the bathroom ever again.

~*~

[A few minutes earlier]

While Kei was in the bathroom tending to Eru, Daichi had answered the doorbell and welcomed Kuroo inside. The two shook hands, squeezing as hard as they could (for old times’ sake, of course). When they let go, Kuroo exchanged his shoes for slippers and followed Daichi into the kitchen.

“Hope you like pot roast and veggies,” Koshi said as he oiled and seasoned a mix of what looked like carrots and parsnips.
“If it tastes as awesome as it smells, you’ll have to keep me from making a pig of myself.”
Koshi and Daichi laughed. “There should be plenty for everyone. Most of the team is already on their way.”
“Cool! Who’s coming?”
“Let’s see,” Daichi said from his place at the table. He started rattling familiar names off, as well as children, and grinned at Kuroo. “Everyone except Hinata and Kageyama, Noya and Asahi.”
“Understandable for Hinata and Kageyama, but what about Noya and Asahi? Didn’t they come back from their travels abroad?”
“They did, but took off again when Noya’s granddad gave them tickets to England.”
“I should have gone traveling,” he said a little wistfully.
Koshi snorted. “Between me, you, and Daichi, we all know you wouldn’t have stayed away for long.”

Kuroo had to admit he was right. Now that he’d caught up to Tsuki, he knew that if he traveled anywhere, he’d be coming back home as soon as possible. He smiled sheepishly and shrugged guiltily, and that when he heard the shuffling sounds of little feet. He turned to see which one of the Sawamura brood had come to check on things, but was surprised to see Kei’s daughter standing there instead. She was dressed in a pastel pink pinafore dotted all over with little strawberries. Her blonde hair was done up in a french braid, and tied at the end with a pink ribbon, dotted with tiny strawberries. Clearly, she was Kei’s child dressed up like an adorable little strawberry. She probably loved them as much as her daddy did, which wouldn’t surprise him in the least. Kuroo smiled at her, and crouched so he would be on her level.

“Hello,” he greeted her.
“Hello,” she repeated.
“Is your name Eru?”
She nodded vigorously, causing a few blonde tendrils to shake loose from her braid. Then, before he could say anything else, her eyes widened and she pointed a little finger at him.
“You’re Kuroo-san! Daddy likes you!”
He acted surprised. “You know my name? Who told you?”
“Daddy did!” and she giggled. “Eru saw picture.”
“A picture? Of who?”
“Kuroo-san!”
“I hope it was a good picture.”

Eru giggled again and nodded. Then, she took a few steps closer, until she was right in front of him. She reached up hesitantly, and then touched his face. Kuroo stayed as still as possible, rooted to the floor. He never expected this. Most children hid behind their parents’ legs playing shy when they first met him. This little girl, Kei’s daughter, Eru Tsukishima… she placed her little hands on his face, with the most angelic little smile he’d ever seen.

“Eru likes you, too,” she said, patting his face lightly. Then, she turned and ran to whatever part of the house the twins were in.
“Well, that was a first,” he heard Daichi say, amazement in his voice.
“No kidding,” Koshi added. “Kuroo, clearly your gift for charming people also extends to children.”
“Not really,” he said quietly, still stunned. “She’d be the first to do something like that.”
“Interesting,” Koshi replied. “Well, maybe you’re just blessed.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”

Kuroo blinked out of his semi-stupor and slowly straightened up. He put his hand on the back of his neck, still not sure what to make of all that. He was about to turn around when he heard a door clicking shut, and saw Kei standing there, his face mirroring what Kuroo felt. There was no mistaking it; Kei had seen everything and was just as surprised, if not more so, than everyone else.

~*~

Later, after dinner was finished, people were beginning to leave the table and mill around, talking and catching up with each other. Kei was still seated at the table, drinking what was left of his soda. He’d already released Eru to go play again, making sure her face and hands were clean before she ran off. Now, he had a few minutes to himself before someone else came to talk to him. He’d need as much time to himself as he could get to prepare for later.

It really was good to see everybody, even if he saw them every month. Several of his friends almost always came to these get-togethers. Some only made it when their schedules allowed. Tonight, it seemed everyone had come by; even Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei stopped by (within the last few minutes, but still), even though they couldn’t stay long. He lifted his glass to his mouth, and realized it was empty. Chuckling, he set it down again.

“Need a refill?” Kuroo’s deep, rusty voice came from beside him. Kei looked up, smirked at him and shrugged.
“Sure,” he replied. Kuroo set a frosty can of strawberry soda in front of him, and Kei opened it up, pouring the drink into his glass. “Thanks.” He held his glass up in silent toast, and took a sip.
Kuroo sat down in the chair next to him. “How are you holding up?” he asked, obviously trying to start a conversation.
“I’m alright,” he answered honestly. “Just watching everyone and catching bits of conversation.”
“You always were the quiet sort,” Kuroo smiled at him. “You were like this at camp, too.”
“Kinda surprised you remember that,” Kei grinned. “It wasn’t like I was anti-social or anything.”
“No, but you’d only engage with others if they started first. If invited anywhere, you’d go, but only if you were invited personally. Blanket invites didn’t count.”
“How would you…”
“I invited everyone in the 3rd gym to go out after practice. Hinata declined, as did Lev. You didn’t say a word, so I assumed you were coming.”
Kei blushed. “I didn’t know.”
“It’s fine. Turns out we didn’t go anyway.”
Kei huffed. “Did you just come over here to remind me of my awkward former self?”
Kuroo shrugged. “Have you really changed that much?”
“I like to think I have.”
Kuroo smiled. “Actually, I came over because you looked like you could use some company.”
“And you volunteered yourself?”
“Yep. Plus, you needed a drink.”
“Quite the gentleman.”
“Ah, yes… you’re still prickly and snarky, too. I like that about you.”
Kei raised an eyebrow, and Kuroo’s face took on a rosy hue.
“Finally confessing?”
“Finally…? Wait. Did you know…?”
Kei nodded and nearly laughed when Kuroo looked irritated and pouty at the same time.
“Who told you?”
“Kenma. Said he was tired of your pining, so he told me to do something about it.”
“That little…”
“What? Getting angry at your best friend now? After several years?”
“This has got to be the least romantic confession ever,” Kuroo muttered. Even so, he looked directly at Kei. “It’s true. I had the biggest crush on you since that first practice match. And after seeing you again at the park the other day, I realized it never really went away. I like you, Kei Tsukishima.”
Kei turned so that he was fully facing Kuroo. He couldn’t help himself; he did exactly what his daughter did a few hours earlier. He hesitantly lifted his hands to Kuroo’s face, patting it gently.
“Kei likes you, too, Kuroo-san.” He patted Kuroo’s smooth face once more, and then leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. “Kei likes you, too.”

He then stood up and left an absolutely stunned Kuroo in his wake.

~*~

While Kei helped Koshi, Kiyoko and Yachi with the dishes, Kuroo pitched in with a few others to help Dachi put away the tables and chairs. He couldn’t help noticing a few sly grins in his direction, nor could he possibly miss the congratulatory slaps on the back. Obviously, Kei’s entire team had been watching them.

“About time, Kuroo,” Tanaka said with a laugh. “We thought we’d have to do an intervention or something.”
“Good lord,” Kuroo muttered. “Did everyone know?”
“Well, yes and no,” Kinoshita answered, joining the conversation. “We knew Kei had a crush on you, but we kinda figured it was mutual when we caught you looking at him at camp.”
“Wait. How was I looking at him?”
“Like Daichi looks at Koshi,” Tanaka answered promptly.
“Like Hinata looks at Kageyama,” Narita chimed in.
“Like Noya looks at Asahi,” Ennoshita added wisely.
“Like Bokuto looks at Akaashi,” he said quietly, watching everyone around him nod their heads.
“Lovestruck, I think the ladies would call it,” Tadashi said as he came over with Daichi. “What we couldn’t figure out is why neither one of you did anything about it?”
“Both of them were just oblivious,” Daichi said, and everyone went “OOHH!!” at the same time.

Kuroo was jostled around by an obviously still rowdy murder of crows. This is why he’d always liked them, and stayed in touch as much as he could. These guys might scrap and pick fights with each other, but when it came down to it, they’d always have each other’s backs. And that also included a small litter of cats.

“Yeah, yeah, alright,” he grumbled good-naturedly as they started messing with his hair. “So now what? What do you guys do at these things after dinner?”

That question seemed to put a damper on everyone’s spirits quickly. No one said anything, but Tanaka turned as soon as Kiyoko came out of the kitchen. They walked over to the far end of the living room. A few minutes later, Kei appeared from the hallway, with little Eru on his hip. He looked like he was collecting himself, and then started to walk, finally joining the Tanakas.


Chapter 3 - Chapter Three

Kuroo was curious about any number of things concerning Kei and little Eru, but the scene unfolding before him hadn’t been one of them. Naturally, the team surrounded the quartet as some sort of barrier, spreading out to give them space and a semblance of privacy, but they also seemed to give him enough room to see what was going on.

Kei was seated on the sofa, across from the Tanakas on the love seat. Eru, being her cheerful and happy little self, went between them like a pint-sized messenger. Things were a little tense between the adults, but they hid it from the little girl. If Kuroo had to guess, this was almost like some sort of supervised visitation, but… not…

Eru was talking a mile a minute, showing them her dress, her hair ribbon, and telling about when her Daddy bought her favorite pair of shoes, which she promptly ran off to go get. While she was gone, they asked Kei questions, no doubt about how her health was and if she was happy. “As if they couldn’t tell just by looking at her,” Kuroo murmured. This wasn’t really the sort of meeting he should be witnessing, so he tried to think of something else. Up until Eru bumped into him, dropping her shoes.

“Oh, sweetie, here. Let me help you,” he said, bending down to pick them up for her. “I like your shoes! Very sparkly!” Kuroo smiled at her.
“Daddy bought them for Eru!”
“Did he?”
“Daddy loves Eru!”
“He loves you very much.”
“Daddy likes you too!”
“Yes, he told me so.”
“Eru show shoes to Aunt Koko and Uncle Tanka now.”
“Okay, sweetie.”

She took them from him and then tippy toed to kiss him on the chin. Kuroo had been left stunned so many times tonight, he wasn’t sure how much more he could take. He slowly stood up, brought his hand up to the spot where she kissed him, and his eyes found Kei’s. Amber eyes that were filled with happy surprise and tenderness.

The oddly tense meeting went on for a little while longer, until it looked like Eru was getting bored. Kiyoko bent and said something to Eru, and she bounced up and down and ran to Kei.

“Daddy! Aunt Koko said Eru could play with Aya and Reo!”

Kei smiled at her, kissed and hugged his daughter before she scampered off to where all the other kids were playing. When Kuroo looked back, Kei and the Tanakas had stood up, and Kiyoko was hugging Kei. They parted after Kei shook hands with Tanaka, so did the rest of the team, and Kei’s eyes met his. With a subtle head tilt, Kei wordlessly suggested they meet out on the patio and then started walking in that direction.

“I wouldn’t make him wait too long,” Koshi said quietly from behind him. Kuroo jumped and turned to face the team mom, who shrugged nonchalantly. “You’re the only one not on our team who knows about Eru. You’re also the only one here who doesn’t know everything. I’m willing to bet Kei wants you to know, especially after what you just witnessed.”
“Oh! But if it’s not something I should know…”
“It’s too late, don’t you think? Besides… well, I’ll let Kei tell you.”

Koshi moved away, a crafty sort of smile on his face. Kuroo knew Koshi could be chaotic, and just as much a schemer as himself, but still, to be on the receiving end of that was almost terrifying.

After he finished his drink, Kuroo made his way out to the patio, sliding the glass door shut behind him. He didn’t fail to notice several members of the team gravitating to the door, turning their backs, and looking very much like guards. It was a lot like what they did earlier for Kei and the Tanakas. No one would disturb them, and no one would dare to even try. Not that he was worried about it, really, but clearly they thought privacy was needed.

Kei was seated in one of the patio chairs, his elbows on the table. His hands were near his face, almost as if he was praying.

“This isn’t bad news, is it?” Kuroo asked as he took a seat across from him.
“Depends.”
“On?”
Kei sighed and smiled a little. “You’ve always had a way of making me talk, didn’t you?”
Kuroo shrugged. “Figure you won’t say anything if I don’t.” He twiddled with his fingers and shrugged shyly. “Besides, I like hearing you talk.”
Kei’s smile brightened for a brief moment. “I like listening to you, too.” They shared the moment, before Kei’s smile faded. “Eru’s not really mine. Not by birth.”
“Oh?”
“Before I tell you anything further, she’s mine in every other way. I’m the one who’s raised her, taken care of her, held her when she cried and…”
“Whoa, Kei! I’m not going to take her away from you.”
Kei blinked. “Sorry. I just… I get defensive…”
“Only natural to want to protect your child.”
“Right. Well…” he paused and straightened up in his chair so that he could look Kuroo dead in the face. Kuroo sat waiting, silently encouraging him. “Eru was my brother’s baby. But, from the moment I met her, we had this… bond. I was the first one she ran to when she was hurt, the first one she ran to when she wanted cuddles, the first one she ran to with any little discovery she made. They handed her over to me when she wasn’t falling asleep no matter what they tried, and somehow, it was only me who could calm her down enough so she would sleep. It was as if she were really mine, just born from different parents.

“Then, one day, I was babysitting her, and my phone went off. There was… an accident. No survivors. She wasn’t even two years old, yet, and lost both parents. From that moment, Eru truly became mine. No way was I going to let her go to anyone, or anywhere, else. It wasn’t until later that we found out Akiteru had made a codicil to their will: In the event that anything ever happened to them, they wanted Eru to be mine. They didn’t want the bond to be broken. It was signed by both Nii-san and his wife.”
“And the Tanaka’s?”
“Tanaka’s older sister, Saeko, was Nii-san’s wife,” Kei confirmed. “Naturally, Kiyoko and Ryu thought Eru would come to them. They were already parents, so they’d know how to take care of her best. They tried to convince me that it would be better for her. ‘You’re too young; You have your whole life in front of you. A sophomore in college couldn’t possibly have the time to study, take classes, and care for a young child, too.’ They couldn’t see what losing Eru would do to me, what it would do to her.”
“So, there was a fight?”
“Not in the exact sense of the word, no. They did try to contest the will, but it was pretty much set in stone. It was the final wish of Nii-san and Saeko that Eru be mine, and if they fought it, well, the law was on my side. So we set up visitations, because Eru was their niece, too. I couldn’t be selfish. I couldn’t come between them, it wouldn’t be right. Still, each time they saw us together, they’d see her run to me, no matter what. Eru was already calling me ‘Daddy,’ so they stopped contesting. I’m sure you noticed how things are between us?”
“Yeah. Strained. Not like it was when you were in school together.”
“Right. Well, call me a little paranoid, and I really do trust them in most other ways, but… I just can’t leave her alone with them. And I hate feeling that way.”
“Understandable. I’d be the same way.”
“I did everything I had to do to make her legally mine.” Keii looked away from him for a long moment, and then looked back. “Now you know the story of how my niece became my daughter.”
Kuroo nodded and smiled. “Sounds like she was always your daughter. The paperwork was just a formality.”
“It really was,” Kei agreed.
“Will you ever tell her?”
Kei shrugged. “I won’t lie to her,” he replied quietly. “But unless, or until, she asks me…”
“Right.”
“Everyone understands this, and promised not to say anything, either.” Kei looked at him expectantly.
“Sworn to secrecy,” Kuroo said, crossing his heart. “I won’t say anything, either.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”

They sat there for just a little while, listening to the quiet noises from inside, mixed with the sounds from crickets and other night insects. Kei stood up and walked a little way into the yard. Kuroo watched him, watched the way he stood alone, watched the way the light from the moon illuminated his hair. Kuroo knew then that he didn’t just have a crush on Kei, but that his feelings were very much deeper than that. Kuroo loved him.

But as he rose from his seat, he heard the sliding glass door open, and he turned to see Eru run through. She stopped for a moment, her amber eyes searching for her most important person in the world. Not seeing him right away, he could see tears welling up in her eyes. With a glance, he noticed Kei hadn’t heard the door opening, so he took a step in Eru’s direction. She saw him, but for once, didn’t look like she wanted anything to do with him. Still… he crouched down and waited until she looked at him again.

“Eru, may I ask you a question?”
She nodded shyly. Not like her at all.
“I know where your daddy is. Will you let me take you to him?”
“Where Daddy?”
“Do you want me to take you to him?”

She nodded, this time a little more enthusiastically. Smiling, Kuroo held out his arms and Eru raised hers, wrapping them around his neck. Holding tight to the little girl, his heart melting, he rose and turned, walking slowly off the patio and toward Kei. The closer he got, the more Eru smiled, and as soon as he was close enough, he gained Kei’s attention.

“Someone wants to see you,” he said quietly.
“Daddy!” Eru cried, letting go of Kuroo and holding her arms out to Kei.

Kei didn’t hesitate and took Eru from him, holding her close, one hand gently holding the back of her head. She snuggled as close as she could get. Neither of them spoke. If Kuroo, or anyone, had any doubts before about Kei being Eru’s father in every way, there were none now. Perhaps it was a good thing Kuroo never doubted it. Still… he backed away a few steps, and turned away, thinking to allow the two of them some father/daughter time alone.

“Tetsuro Kuroo,” Kei’s voice followed him, soft, and yet using his “Dad” voice. Kuroo grinned and stopped. “Don’t you dare leave.”
“I wasn’t going to leave the party…” he started to say.
“Not what I meant.”
“What did you mean?” And he turned back to look at Kei, who was looking at him. As was little Eru.
“Kuroo-san stay,” her little voice reached him, reached his already racing heart.
“You heard Eru,” Kei said with a soft smile.
Kuroo walked slowly until he was right in front of Kei. “And what does Eru’s father say?”
“Don’t leave. Stay with us.”
Kuroo couldn’t help himself. “How long do you want me to stay?”
Kei huffed, and then smirked. “How long do you want to stay?”
“Stay forever!” Eru chimed in, reaching over to pat his face.
“Forever, huh?” His face hurt from smiling so much. “I think I can do that. How about as a start, I take you two home?”
“Sounds good,” Kei agreed. “I think someone’s tired, anyway.”
“Eru not tired!”
“She’s not?” Kuroo asked her, eyes wide, earning a sweet little giggle. “I thought I saw Eru yawning.”
“Eru not yawning!” she protested, but lost the battle against one very large yawn. For a five year old.
Kuroo chuckled and leaned close so he could whisper in Kei’s ear. “I’ll go the long way, if there is one.” With each word uttered, his lips just grazed the shell of Kei’s ear, which earned him a shiver. When he leaned back, Kei nodded slightly.
“Oh, wait. I don’t have a child’s car seat…”
“We can borrow one from Koshi and Daichi.”
“Good. When do you want to leave?”
“I’m good with now.”
“I’ll go get the car ready.”
“We’ll meet you out front.”

They walked back in and split up, Kuroo saying his goodbyes, and then going to get his car ready for two Very Important Passengers. Meanwhile, Kei put Eru down so she could tell the other children goodbye, and he gathered her stuff. He picked her up when she came back, and went around to everyone saying goodbye and promising to see them all next month.

Once they were done, and Koshi handed Kuroo one of their kids’ car seats, they all waved goodbye and left the party together.

“How long do you think before they are officially a family?” Koshi asked his husband as they watched the car drive away.
“With or without your… help?”
Koshi lightly smacked Daichi on the arm as they went back inside. “Does it matter?”
Daichi laughed. “Probably not. I doubt it’ll take that long at all.”
“Yeah, me either.”

~*~

They didn’t need to go the long way after all. Eru was out cold within minutes of their departure from the Sawamura’s. It was also a good thing Kei had the forethought to put his address into the GPS before they left; Kei was barely awake himself, reaching for Kuroo’s hand before he dozed off.

When they finally made it to Kei’s apartment building, Kuroo leaned over and kissed Kei’s forehead to wake him, and then went to get Eru out of her seat. She woke up just enough to put her face in his neck and grab a tiny fistful of his shirt. And then she fell asleep again.

“Looks like you’re stuck,” Kei said quietly, rubbing her back and giving her a little kiss.
“You should take her.”
“Why? I don’t want to wake her up.”
“Well, I mean if she wakes up and finds out it’s not you holding her…”
“Kuroo…”
“You can call me Tetsuro, you know.”
“Fine, Tetsuro.” Kei smirked. “If Eru wanted me to hold her, she’d have already asked for it. She knows it’s you.”
Tetsuro wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “O-okay. What should I do?”
“Well, for starters, why don’t we go inside? She’s done for the night, so all we need to do is get her into her pajamas, and tucked in bed.”

Kei smiled at him , turned, and started walking to the main entrance. When he realized Tetsuro wasn’t beside him, he turned back… and tried so hard not to laugh at the expression on Tetsuro’s face. He looked stunned, happy, maybe even a little scared.

“We?”
“Well, yeah,” Kei replied, walking back to him. “Eru likes you. She always has, ever since she saw you in a picture. She even figured out that I like you, too. Let me show you something,” he said as he reached up and gently put his hands around Eru. He tried to lift her up, to take her from Tetsuro, but Eru wasn’t having it. She whimpered and grabbed his shirt with both hands, and held on tight.

“No! Eru stay with Kuroo-san!”
Kei smiled at Tetsuro as he let go of Eru. “See? She likes you. She’s also volunteered you to help her go to bed.”
Tetsuro held her just a little tighter, still looking stunned, but also like he’d protect her from anything. Kei chuckled. “Come on. I’ll show you what you need to do.”
“Alright.”

~*~

When Kei came back upstairs, carrying two mugs of coffee, he found Tetsuro sitting on the floor beside Eru’s little bed, just watching her as she slept. It looked like she’d finally let go of him enough for him to tuck her in. It had been a trick to get her out of her little dress and into her night shirt while he held on to her, but they managed it.

“Finally let you go, huh?” he asked from the doorway.
“Yeah. I tried to leave, but she woke up right as I was at the door.”
“Lemme guess: begged you to stay and her eyes filled with tears?”
“Yeah. How do you…?”
“It’s hard, but sometimes I just let her cry. Eventually she’ll go back to sleep. I have to sleep, too, and lying on the floor isn’t an option.”
Tetsuro nodded, and shifted so he could look up at Kei.
“You’re a good dad,” he said quietly.
“I try. I think of it as a neverending lesson on parenting.” He held up one of the mugs. “Let’s go downstairs. We can talk normally.”
“Even if she cries?”
“Even if she cries.”
Tetsuro grinned and levered himself up off the floor. He was as quiet as he could be, but still managed to make a little bit of noise, and just enough that Eru woke up.
“Don’t go…”
Kei handed Tetsuro the mugs and knelt beside her bed.
“Time for sleep, baby.”
“Kuroo-san can’t go.”
“He has to, Eru. Do you want him to kiss you goodnight?”
Her eyes were already staying shut longer than they were open, and she yawned a great big yawn, but she nodded once. Kei chuckled and leaned in to kiss her forehead, running his fingers through her hair. Then, he stood up and made room for Tetsuro, who knelt and gently kissed her cheek. Her sleepy smile was entirely too adorable, but she was asleep in seconds.

Downstairs, they sat at the table, a plate of snacks between them, and a second mug of coffee being savored. They took turns telling each other stories from their pasts; Tetsuro told Kei about his travels around the country for the JVA, but now he’s more localized and keeping track of the rising stars of their generation. He had an idea for a major event in the future, but it was going to take a massive amount of planning, so that’s what he was doing now.

Kei told Tetsuro more about becoming a father, and raising little Eru.

“I tried to stay in college, but even with the reduced class load, I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t able to keep Eru with me in class, she’d get bored too fast, and she’d distract my classmates,” he said with a tender smile. “But leaving her for a full day, plus study time, was nerve-wracking for me. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my mom, or Daichi and Koshi, but… I wanted to be with my daughter. Learn with her, play with her, watch her just be Eru. I finished my sophomore year, but dropped out before my junior year started, against my advisor’s suggestions.”
“Sounds like it wasn’t a very tough decision to make,” Tetsuro said quietly.
Kei put down his empty mug. “It really wasn’t. Eru has a trust fund from her parents and grandparents, so with careful budgeting, her needs are met. I have an inheritance from my grandparents, and Nii-san’s portion was awarded to me, so all I really needed to do was take a part time job.”
“You’ve managed it amazingly well.”
“It wasn’t easy.”
“Maybe not. Still, though, from all I’ve seen so far, you have everything under control.”
“Well, not everything,” Kei admitted quietly.

He stood up and took his empty mug, and Tetsuro’s, to the sink. He returned for the empty plate of snacks, but Tetsuro stopped him, a gentle hand on his wrist.

“What do you mean, ‘not everything’?”
Kei shrugged. “It’s hard to explain,” he replied. “It’s just been Eru and myself for a while now. I’d grown used to it. Life was comfortable. I was content. Or so thought…”
“What changed your mind?”
Kei huffed, and managed to look both shy and annoyed at the same time.
“You did, Tetsuro Kuroo.”


Chapter 4 - Chapter Four

“Me? How did I change your mind?” Kuroo stood up, standing close to Kei.
“You came back,” Kei whispered, turning so that they were face to face, bodies only a breath apart.
“What do you mean?”
Kei shrugged a little. “Let’s just say that seeing you again brought back everything I felt for you back in high school.”
“Yeah. Same.”
“I’m sorry I was rude to you the other day.”
“Wait. Why are you apologizing? Rude?”

Dear god, the number of times these two left him stunned tonight was… well, he lost count. Still, Tetsuro wouldn’t change it for the world. It was an amazing feeling, to be honest, and he loved it. He loved them.

Tetsuro realized he’d placed his arms around Kei’s waist, hands resting lightly on the small of his back. Perhaps it was an impulsive move. Or maybe it was instinctive. Whichever, he was holding Kei loosely in his arms, and it felt good. He didn’t want to let go. Ever. Still, they’d only just reconnected. This was the first night they’d spent any amount of time together since they were in school, and that wasn’t for too long, either.

Still, Kei had always had a place in his mind, and heart. And, if he were to believe what he was told a couple hours ago, Kei had been harboring his own feelings toward him.

“I ran away,” Kei admitted quietly. “I left right after I told you who Eru was to me.”
“But…”
Kei gently placed his hand over Tetsuro’s mouth. “No, I ran away. I was scared. I’d kept our lives in a small bubble, and you finding out about her burst it. My first instinct was to run, and hope I’d never see you again. I’m sorry.”
Tetsuro gathered Kei into his arms, holding him gently, yet firmly.
“Don’t apologize. Not for that. You were doing what you thought you needed to do in order to keep Eru safe.”
“You wouldn’t hurt her,” Kei protested.
“No, I wouldn’t. But you didn’t know that. All you knew of me was our time during those camps. Several years have passed. For all you knew, I could have been the… the Big Bad Wolf.”

They stared at each other for a few moments, and then Kei broke first, trying not to laugh and failing. Tetsuro smirked, then smiled, and finally joined him. They laughed and held each other. And perhaps the happiness, the joy, and the closeness all contributed to their first kiss. A sweet one, just long enough to tempt them into more, but it ended before it could go further.

“Daddy?”
Tetsuro let Kei go, and watched as he went to his daughter, who was at the door, rubbing her eyes. It also looked like she woke up crying. Tetsuro wanted to go to her, too, but knew this was Kei’s place as her dad.
“What’s wrong, baby? Did you have a bad dream?” Kei brushed back the hair from her face. He turned to Tetsuro and asked quietly, “could you get me a cool, damp, towel?”
“No problem.” And he snapped into action, only to stop a few moments later. “Ummm…”
Kei chuckled. “In the pantry, on the shelf to your left.” Tetsuro almost passed it. “Stop. Turn left.”

Tetsuro felt his face heat, but he opened the pantry, found a towel, and took it to the sink. He turned on the cold water, and ran it under the water stream, and then wrung it out. Turning off the water, he brought the towel to Kei, and knelt beside him. Just in case.

Kei thanked him and lightly pressed the towel to Eru’s face. She squirmed a bit, trying to move away, but Kei held her firmly, assuring her it was alright, and the towel would help cool off her face. She settled down and let him finish, and then Kei passed the towel back and picked up his little girl. He turned to face Tetsuro, who also stood up.

“I guess we should call it a night,” he said with a bit of a sad smile.
“Yeah. I have to work in the morning anyway.” He fiddled with the damp towel.
“Just put that by the sink. I’ll take care of it later.”
Tetsuro nodded, but hadn’t moved. “Kei? Will I…”
“Do you want…”
They smiled at each other, and Kei nodded.
“You have my address. Why don’t you come over after work?”
“Sure! Do you want me to bring anything to eat?”
“No, I’ve got an idea. Bring your appetite.”
“Done. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. See you.”

They parted slowly, both wishing they’d had a little bit more time together. Still, as Tetsuro went to the door, he turned back, and watched Kei turn and take Eru back upstairs. He left, turned the locking mechanism in the doorknob so that he’d be locked out, and closed the door carefully behind him.

~*~

For the rest of his week in Sendai, Tetsuro spent all his free time with Kei and Eru. He was supposed to leave Friday, and go back to Tokyo, but he stayed for the weekend, and Kei invited him to stay over at his place. Eru made the most of that, considering it a sleepover, and demanding his time and attention, which he gladly gave. He watched her shows, let her “style” his hair, and joined her for tea parties, with her favorite dolls and plushies. He’d often find Kei watching them, his amber eyes bright, and a smile on his face.

They went to the park and joined Daichi, Koshi, and their kids for their playdate on Saturday. The kids all raced to the playground, with Kenji grabbing Eru’s hand and tugging her along behind him. The adults watched them play for a while, and then Daichi asked Tetsuro if he’d join him for a walk.

“Extended your stay, huh?” Daichi asked once they were on the sidewalk track that circled the playground.
Tetsuro shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah. I didn’t feel like going home right away.”
“I noticed,” Daichi smiled. “Plus, I think you love them, and don’t want to leave.”
“When did you start reading minds, Sawamura?”
“I don’t, but I’m pretty good at reading into a situation. You love them.” It wasn’t a question, but Tetsuro answered anyway.
“I do. And you’re right. I hate that I’m going to be leaving them tomorrow.”
“Why not invite them down?”
“I’ve thought about it. But, I don’t know.”
Daichi chuckled. “Just ask. Best case scenario, Kei will agree, and they’ll see how you live in Tokyo. Next best, you can always come back up here.”
“I’d be more surprised at your attempts at matchmaking if I didn’t know who you were married to.”
Daichi blushed. “Yeah, well… anyway. For what it’s worth, I think you’ll need to plan for a couple visitors.”
“So certain…”
“Nah, I just know that Kei’s just as in love with you and you are with him. And Eru, too.”
“Eru?”
“She likes everyone, but she also picks who she likes best. Kind of like her own little circle of Very Important People. Kei is at the top of that list. You took second place. Then us.”
“I’m second?”
“Yep. So, once you get the chance, ask him.”

~*~

“So, are you two official, yet?”
“Good grief, Koshi,” Kei answered, exasperated. “We’ve just been spending time together, nothing beyond that.”
“Why not?”
“Ohmigod! You’re impossible.”
“Well?”
“How long were you with Daichi before…?”
Koshi squinted at him. “Three weeks.”
“Tetsuro and I have only had a few days.”
“A few days is enough to get it started, don’t you think?” Koshi chuckled at Kei’s thoughtful face. “Besides, you love each other. Always have.”
Kei hmphed. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am.” They waved at Daichi and Tetsuro as they walked toward them on the track. “If you want, we can keep Eru for you tonight.”
“Koshi?”
“What?”
Kei just stared at him for a few minutes. “Nevermind.”
“I thought so. Just let us know when you’re on your way.”

~*~

After dropping Eru off at the Sawamura’s, and dodging knowing looks from the both of them, Tetsuro and Kei were seated on the floor in the living room, eating pizza and watching their favorite anime. They played a few video games, and Kei made a chocolate sauce to go with the strawberries he’d bought earlier.

“You know what?” Tetsuro asked, feeding Kei a strawberry.
“What?”
“I think I’d have been able to figure out Eru was yours, even if I hadn’t seen her at the park that day.”
“How so?” Kei asked, returning the favor, and feeding Tetsuro a strawberry.
Tetsuro winked. “These.” He picked up a nearly perfect, ruby red fruit.
Kei blinked, and then smiled. “She loves them. Eating them, clothes with strawberries on them, hair ties and ribbons with strawberries on them.”
“Yeah. When she came up to me at the party, she was wearing that cute little dress with strawberries all over it. I would’ve known she was yours right then.”
“And why’s that?”
“You love strawberries, too.”
“I wonder what gave you that idea.”
“Couldn’t be that I saw you eating them every morning at camp.”
“Not at all.”
“Hmmm…”

Tetsuro fed Kei the strawberry he held, and leaned in for a kiss. One that grew heated the longer it went on. It ended when they were breathing heavily and drunk on love. With his forehead against Kei’s he waited a little bit before finally speaking.

“What are you doing next weekend?”
Kei blinked, still hazy from that kiss. “Uhhh, nothing that I’m aware of. Other than Eru’s playdate. Why?”
“Come visit me in Tokyo?”
“What?”
“Come visit me in Tokyo. My place isn’t as big, but it’ll fit the three of us. I know of a few kid-friendly places Eru would like, and all in Nerima City.”
Kei moved back a bit. “I don’t know. I’d like to, but it’s so big. Eru’s never been anywhere but here.”
Tetsuro sighed and smiled, “It’s okay. I don’t mind coming up here to see you both.”
“Let me think about it, alright? It’s been so long since I’ve been, and Eru’s still so little.”
“Okay. Let me know.”
“I’ll call you.”
Tetsuro smiled again, and went back to kissing the man he loved.

~*~

[One Week Later]

The train eased to a stop at Ikebukuro Station nearly three hours after they left Sendai. Kei held Eru in his lap, and she was sleeping against his chest. He tightened his hold a little, kissed her head, and then did his best to stand up without waking her. For a moment, he was at a loss as to how to juggle daughter and both their bags, but one of the coach attendants came over to help him out. He thanked the young lady, and left the car, finding Tetsu almost immediately. Smiling, he waited while his boyfriend took the bags from the attendant, tipped her handsomely, and then turned to Kei and leaned in for a quick welcome kiss for him, and one for Eru.

“How was the trip?” Tetsu asked as they made their way out of the station.
“Quiet. She was asleep within a half hour,” Kei replied, smiling at Tetsu and down at Eru. “Good thing you suggested the late train.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She’d have found everything so fascinating. I’d have to keep up with her as she explored everything.” He shifted his daughter more comfortably. “She’s just so curious! If I didn’t keep an eye on her, she’d be off following whatever captured her interest.”
“Well, she’ll have two pairs of eyes on her tomorrow at the park.”
“Yeah. Thanks for inviting us down.”
Tetsu grinned and looked at him for a long moment. “You’re still worried, aren’t you?”
Kei nodded, his arms tightening around his sleeping daughter. “I am. Sorry. She’s still so small, and she’s just so curious. I want to have fun, but…”
“I understand,” Tetsu said. “No, really, I do!” he added when Kei looked at him a bit skeptically. “To be honest, I’m a little nervous too. But we have an entire weekend, and the only places I plan on taking you two are relatively quiet areas.”
Kei breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”
“Since it’s getting late, and you look like you are about to drop, we’ll call it an early night. Sound good?”
Kei nodded, but then, his stomach protested. Both of them tried not to laugh too loudly. “Well, maybe a bite to eat, first?”
“No problem. I can make a light meal.” He reached over and ran his fingers through Kei’s hair. “I’m glad you could make it. Both of you.”

~*~

“You ready, Eru?” Kei asked as they waited patiently, and quietly. “Remember what I told you?”
“Eru has to be quiet,” she said and held a finger up to her lips as she shushed him.
“Very good! And what else?”
“Eru must be careful,” and she stood still as a statue, making a pouting face. Kei laughed and kissed her cheek.
“Maybe not quite like that,” he said, looking over at Tetsu, who was smiling at them both. He came over and crouched down on the other side of Eru.
“Look up there, Eru!” Tetsu pointed up, and Eru looked up.

Slowly, but surely, butterflies fluttered into the observatory. You could hear hushed oohh's and aahh's from other visitors, but Kei and Tetsu watched Eru. Her little face lit up, amber eyes sparkling with wonder, little mouth open in a perfect “O”. She was bouncing up and down, and trying so hard not to make a sound.

As the butterflies fluttered down, Eru would hold her little hands up as if to try and catch one. Kei gently corrected her, whispering that she couldn’t catch them. His little sunshine never dimmed. She held her hands out in front of her, palms up, and soon she was rewarded for her patience. A beautiful, tiny yellow butterfly settled on her left hand.

“Daddy, look!” she almost squeaked.
“Yes, baby. Isn’t it pretty?”
Eru nodded enthusiastically. While she did, two more butterflies landed on her other hand. A handsome, larger blue butterfly, and one that seemed to shimmer both green and purple at the same time. His little girl practically vibrated with excitement beside him. She wanted to move so much, but did her best not to until the butterflies fluttered away.
“Daddy! They liked Eru!”
“They did! Oh! Hold still a little more, okay?”
“Why?”
Kei gently touched her hair, and a butterfly crawled onto his finger. He brought it around to show Eru.
“This one liked your little flower hair tie,” he said, showing her the orange and black insect.
“It’s so pretty, Daddy!” She held out her finger and Kei let it crawl onto its new perch. “What kind is it?”
“I think it’s a Monarch butterfly.”
“Monarch,” she repeated.

They stayed for a little while longer, letting Eru explore the garden, and find different butterflies. They stayed with her, laughing at her antics. While they walked, Kei reached for Tetsu’s hand, and weaved their fingers together. After another hour, they left, Tetsu carrying Eru, and went to their next destination.

~*~

After lunch, they went to the park near Tetsu’s apartment complex. It was fairly large, but oddly, there weren’t very many people around. Still, Kei kept his eye on Eru, letting her run around, but not too far. They strolled along one of the longer paths on their way to the playground. Eru, for the most part, stayed close as she’d been told. Sometimes, she’d bring back a shiny green leaf, or a tiny wildflower. Each time, she ran back to Kei proudly showing him her newest treasure. Once she showed him, she would shyly show Tetsu what she’d brought.

“She loves you,” Kei told him, nudging Tetsu with his shoulder.
Tetsu looked surprised. “You think so?”
“I do. I think she’s been fascinated with you since the first time she saw your picture.”
“My picture?”
Kei laughed. “I took a few pictures at summer camp that year. The one she stopped on was the one of you, Bokuto, and Akaashi. She stopped telling me her story about my teammates and asked me who you were.”
“Oh, yeah. She mentioned it at the party. I’m amazed she didn’t ask about Akaashi. Or Bokuto.”
“I don’t think they even registered for her. She was focused on you.”
Tetsu put his hand on the back of his neck, and his face took on a pinkish hue. Kei smiled and took a quick look around for Eru, who was just ahead of them, examining a rock she’d found.
“She asked me if I liked you.”
“Oh?” Tetsu turned his head just enough to look at him, gray eyes sparkling with curiosity. “And what was your answer?”
“I didn’t answer her.”
“What? Why not?” Tetsu was smirking at him, knowing full well what Kei felt for him. Still… He gathered Kei up in his arms, bringing their faces close. “Tell me.”
Kei smirked back. “I didn’t answer her, because I couldn’t. Not verbally, anyway.”
“Cat got your tongue?”
Kei leaned back and laughed. Then, he moved so that his arms wrapped around Tetsu’s shoulders. “Maybe not then,” he said quietly, as their faces were once again close. Close enough to kiss.
“How about now?” Tetsu whispered, taking Kei’s mouth in a deep, long kiss. When it ended, they took a moment to catch their breath.

Kei was going to answer, but took a moment to gather his scattered thoughts. As he did, he looked for Eru, making sure she was still nearby. But she wasn’t where he last saw her, nor was she anywhere else around them.

“Eru?” he broke out of Tetsu’s arms, quickly going to where he’d last seen her. The rock was there, but she wasn’t. “ERU!” And he started looking everywhere around him, frantic with worry. He was heading back to Tetsu, who was also looking for her, but going back the way they came.

“Tetsu? We have to find her!”
“I know, baby. I know. We’ll find her.”
“Right.” He tried to breathe deeply, but it was almost impossible. His little girl was gone. “Tetsu?”
Tetsu took one look at Kei and quickly wrapped his arms around him.
“Shhhh… I know you’re scared, but we can’t panic. She couldn’t have gone too far, right? Something must have caught her eye, and she wanted to get it and bring it back to you. Another little treasure.” At least, that’s what he hoped. “Calm down, okay? We’ll find her.” He tightened his hold a bit; Kei was shaking hard.
“Alright, here’s the plan. You go back the way we came. Can you remember where she stopped to show you something?” Kei nodded. “Search for her in those areas. I’ll go the other way.”
“We have to find her.”
“We will, baby. We will.” Tetsu assured him. “If you find her first, call me. I’ll do the same if I find her. Sound good?”

Kei nodded again, wiping the tears from his face. Then, he kissed Tetsu’s cheek, wiggled out of his arms, and started looking for his daughter, calling her name as he went. Tetsu kept his eye on him for a minute, making sure he wasn’t going to panic. Each time he heard Kei call for Eru, his voice was a little less scared, less shaky, stronger. Satisfied, he turned and started walking in the direction they were going before Eru wandered off.

“Eru!” he called out, his eyes flicking over the landscape in front of him. “Eru? Where are you?” He called her as if they were playing a game of hide-and-seek, thinking that maybe she’d come out to tell him they weren’t playing a game, but looking for pretty things.

Pretty things. They’d gone to the butterfly garden this morning. Maybe she found a butterfly, and followed it as it fluttered away? He kept looking and calling her name, looking behind hedges and around trees. From the sound of it, he was coming closer to the playground area; kids were laughing, screaming, and overall having a grand time. He started off in that direction, maybe she found a new friend or two to play with. Baby girl never really met a stranger.

“Eru? Come on out!”

And then he heard it. Almost like a sad undertone to the laughter and happy screams, there was a crying child. Tetsu slowed down, trying to pin-point where the child was. He was sure he’d found Eru. Closer he crept, until he heard her voice over everything else. He walked calmly, and eventually found her, curled up in a ball, crouched on the ground. Her blonde ponytail had almost come completely undone, her little face was red, splotchy, and wet with tears. She was crying so hard, she’d started hiccuping, and she was trying to say “Daddy,” but she was too upset.

Tetsu knelt down in front of her. “Here you are, Eru! We were looking all over for you. What an excellent hider you are,” he crooned, lightly stroking her hair. When her watery gaze reached his, and recognition lit up her amber eyes, she hopped up and was suddenly in his arms. Tetsu hugged her tight, relief flooding through him. In that moment, he realized he’d been just as worried, almost as panicked as Kei.

Rising slowly, he stood up, and gently moved Eru so that he could retrieve his phone from his pocket. With one hand, he swiped to unlock, brought up his contacts, and tapped Kei’s number.
“Tetsu?”
“I found her, love.”
“Oh, thank god! Where are you?”
“Almost to the playground. I’m on my way back.”
“Tetsu… where?”
“Just follow the path we’re on.”
“On my way!”

Kei hung up, and Tetsu put his phone back in his pocket. Only a couple minutes later, Kei was running toward them.
“Eru?!”
“Daddy?!”
Eru’s head popped up from Tetsu’s shoulder, and then she was struggling to get down. Tetsu tried to set her down gently, but she was already running (and crying) toward Kei, who was on his knees with his arms out wide. She didn’t stop until she was in his arms, both of them crying.

Tetsu watched them from where he stood, both of them with hands on faces, brushing through hair, wiping tears away. Kei tenderly took the hair tie out of her hair and asked her if she wanted it back up; Eru shook her head. Kei also examined her gently, making sure she wasn’t hurt, and with a watery smile also tickled her, making his little girl laugh. Then, Eru reached up and Kei took her in his arms again, looking so relieved, so happy, as if his world was once again on solid ground.

Tetsu nearly turned his face, the moment a little too much to bear, but then Kei’s amber eyes caught his. “Thank you,” he whispered. Tetsu could only nod, his own emotions getting the better of him. Kei gave him a knowing look, smiled fondly, and held out one of his hands, beckoning him to join them. He didn’t think twice, and he sat down next to Kei, wrapping both dad and daughter in his arms.


Chapter 5 - Chapter Five

Later that night, after several bedtime stories told by both Kei and Tetsu, Eru was wrapped up in her favorite blanket and sound asleep on the sofa. Tetsu and Kei were in the kitchen, nibbling on a range of snacks, and Tetsu’s special tea: plain tea with mint and honey.

“What would you like to do tomorrow?” he asked quietly, listing a few places that were small, kid-friendly, and relatively quiet in terms of visitors.
“Those all sound great, and I know Eru would love them…”
“But?”
“After today, I just want to stay home.”
“Understandable.” Tetsu’s heart did a little flip when Kei said ‘home.’ “Are you sure?”
Kei nodded. “We have enough here to keep Eru happy, I’d like a day to just relax with you, so movies or binging whatever is fine with me. Plus, our train leaves at 7pm, and we’ll need time to pack everything up…”
“I can go for that,” Tetsu said thoughtfully. “What do we do about meals? I mean, you’ve seen the rather barren state of my fridge.”
Kei smiled. “Hmmm… Maybe we could go out to the grocery store? Or, surely you have delivery services here?”
“Of course!” Tetsu scoffed playfully. “So, completely in, or a trip to the store and then home for the rest of the day?”
Kei looked thoughtful, taking a sip of his tea. “If we are awake early enough, we can do the latter. But, to be fair, no alarms.”
“Well, maybe one.”
“She’s usually up at the crack of dawn anyway. But, Eru’s the only “alarm” we’ll have.”
“Done.” Tetsu stood up and started putting away the snacks, and offered another cup of tea. “I’m going to the little corner store and pick up some food for breakfast.”
“What are you going to make for us?”
Tetsu shrugged. “I know you both love pancakes, but… I thought french toast would be a good change.”
“Sounds great!” Kei took the steaming cup of tea. “Eru hasn’t had that yet, but she loves bread and eggs, so I think she’ll love it.”
“If not, I can alway make something else.”
“Only if she absolutely refuses the meal. And she does have to at least try a bite first.”
“Got it. Daddy knows best.”

Kei’s smile was bright, and there was a light blush on his face. Tetsu was absolutely charmed, and he sat down beside Kei, leaning in to kiss him. For the first time (or maybe second or third), Tetsu thought this was something he could get used to, something that he’d always wanted, but never really thought about it. Kei was the perfect partner for him, and little Eru had won his heart within the first few times he’d been able to spend time with her. Together, it felt like he had his own little family, and he wanted to keep it that way.

~*~

Kei woke up to the delicious smell of breakfast, wafting into the bedroom. He smiled and stretched, taking his time waking up. As he pushed himself up, pushing off the blanket, he heard hushed voices, one low and raspy, the other high and chipper. He wasn’t sure who woke up first, but they’d clearly come to a mutual decision to let him sleep.

“Eru try!” he heard his daughter demand rather loudly.
“Shhh,” Tetsu replied, no doubt with his finger up to his lips. “Daddy’s still sleeping. Remember what I told you?”
“But, Eru want to try!”
“I know, sweetie. Let me finish this up, and I’ll let you try, okay?”
“Okay.”

Kei stood up and crept to the doorway, peeping around the corner. As he thought, Tetsu was cooking their breakfast and Eru was seated on one of the high seats, on top of a few thick books. Her golden hair was its usual morning mess, which paired well with Tetsu’s own bedhead. Her face was smudged with what looked like powdered sugar, and she was holding a plastic knife. In front of her was a plate in which a small pile of strawberries sat. Minus the one she just ate.

“Now, now, Eru,” Tetsu chided her gently. “If you eat those, we won’t have any to go on the french toast.”
“Eru loves strawberries!” She ate another one, with a look that spoke volumes.

Oh dear. Tetsu was about to see the not-so-angelic version of Eru. He started to step into the room, when Tetsu caught his attention and shook his head imperceptibly. He quickly finished cooking the french toast in the pan, flipped it out of the pan and onto the pile he’d already cooked. Then, he set the pan aside, turned off the stove, and leaned over the bar. He picked up the plate in front of Eru, and the bowl of uncut strawberries, and put them in front of him. Kei heard her whimper and sniffle.

“Kuroo-san took strawberries!”
“Yes, I did.”
“Eru want them back!”
“Nope.”
Kei watched his daughter deal with her new favorite person telling her no. He put his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh at her stunned expression. It didn’t last long, however.
“Eru was cutting them!”
“No, Eru was eating them when I told her not to.”
Tetsu was slicing the strawberries very slowly, as if waiting for her. Kei caught his attention and nodded. His boyfriend was handling his daughter’s bad mood with ease. Eru had gone silent again, her little arms crossed over her chest. She’d be like this for a few minutes more before trying, again, to get her way.
“Kuroo-san, Eru want strawberries back!”
“Is Eru going to eat them?”
She didn’t answer right away. Tetsu winked at Kei and went back to cutting another strawberry.
“Well, Eru?”
“Eru eat strawberries.”
“Eru may eat the strawberries with the rest of her breakfast,” Tetsu said gently. “Eru must also share the strawberries.”
“NO!”
“Eru…” his voice was stern, and he looked at her, waiting and slicing.
“Eru sorry,” she said, hardly above a whisper. Kei could hear her tears, but he stayed where he was.
“Will Eru eat any more strawberries?”
She shook her head.
“Eru?”
“Eru won’t eat strawberries,” she practically mumbled. But it was enough for Tetsu.
“Will Eru share the strawberries?”
She nodded, but before Tetsu could ask again, “Eru share strawberries.”
“Good girl.”

As Tetsu gave her back the plate and bowl filled with strawberries, Kei walked into the room and sat down on the seat next to Eru. He didn’t say anything, just kissed her head, and smiled when Tetsu put a mug of coffee down in front of him.

“Well done, love,” Kei praised quietly, watching Tetsu’s face color. “She’s at her most… contentious in the mornings.”
“Ah. Like her daddy?”
Kei smirked. “In five-year-old form,” he agreed, sipping his coffee.
Tetsu looked curious as he put the finishing touches on their breakfast, slicing up some other fruit and pouring juice in glasses. He gestured with his head toward the table, and Kei nodded, picking up Eru, who whined again.
“Is it only in the morning?” Tetsu asked as they settled at the table.
“No. She’s not always bad-tempered, but it shows up mostly when she’s tired and fighting it.”
“Noted.”
Kei grinned and served Eru her french toast, cut up into bite-sized pieces, and liberally covered in strawberries and a light dusting of powdered sugar. Tetsu served theirs, with maple syrup. Kei raised an eyebrow. Tetsu merely smirked, with an impish glint in his eye.
“I saved some for… later,” he winked at him, sipping his juice.
“I look forward to that,” Kei replied with his own wink.

~*~

They arrived early at the train station, with Kei holding Eru and Tetsu carrying their bags. They were there to spend what little time they had left together and not have to rush. Eru was already looking all over, and pointing at brightly colored signs and neon lights.

They found a bench to sit near the platform where the train would arrive, and sat down. Eru tried several times to get down and look around, but both Kei and Tetsu kept her seated, which she loudly protested. Kei gave Tetsu a knowing look, and went to move her into his lap, but Tetsu stopped him. With smooth maneuvering, Eru was in his boyfriend’s lap, facing out, and he was pointing at bright shiny things, telling her what they were and what they were for.

Kei watched them, and even chipped in occasionally. But mostly, he would smile and nod at Eru when she looked at him for confirmation, and he’d run his fingers through her hair to help calm her if she started looking upset. Then, he’d do the same for Tetsu, who leaned into the touch like a happy cat.

When the train arrived, Kei took Eru and they walked to the open doors of the nearest car. He handed over his tickets to the conductor, and a porter took their bags from Tetsu. They only had a few moments left.

“See you next weekend?” Kei asked, leaning in to kiss Tetsu.
“Yeah. I’m taking Thursday and Monday off as well, so we’ll have a little more time.”
“Sounds great.”
“Miss you already.”
“Same.”
“Eru misses Kuroo-san, too!”
“And I’m going to miss you, too, Eru.”
“Daddy? Can Kuroo-san come with us?”
“Not right now, baby. He has to stay here and go to work.”
“No! Kuroo-san, you come, too!” And she reached over to grab his shirt, almost toppling Kei and herself in her dive to latch onto Tetsu.
Kei handed her over, and smiled apologetically at the conductor, who was pointedly staring at his watch.
“Can he come aboard with us? He’s not going to stay, but…”
“It’s fine, but he needs to be back off in five minutes.”
“Thank you, sir,” Kei bowed, and then hooked his hand around Tetsu’s elbow and tugged him to follow.

Once they made it to the seats Kei was assigned, he took Eru back, after they managed to make her let go. She cried, curling up against her daddy and looking forlornly at Tetsu.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll see you in a few days, okay?”
She sniffled and nodded.
“You better go. We’ll be okay from here.”
Tetsu ran his hand over the little girl’s hair, and he looked up at Kei, his own eyes watery with tears.
“Already has you wrapped around her pinky finger, huh?”
“I guess so.”
“See you on Thursday, my love.”
“Yeah. See you then.”

They shared a kiss which almost caused Tetsu to miss his exit time. It wouldn’t have been a bad thing, really, if he didn’t have to be at work extra early in the morning. He kissed Eru’s little cheek and then ran off the train, almost being caught by the closing doors. Tetsu spun around and waved, racing along with the train before stopping at the very edge of the platform.

Little Eru reached up to wipe away a few of her daddy’s tears.

~*~

Thursday night arrived in no time at all, and Tetsu drove straight to Kei’s apartment building. He was walking up to the door when it swung open and a little blonde whirlwind raced out and wrapped herself around his legs.

“Look, Daddy! Kuroo-san is home!”
“He is, isn’t he?” Kei raised an eyebrow at Tetsu, who looked stunned. “She’s been telling everyone you’re coming home today. I didn’t have the heart to correct her.”
“Sh-she’s not wrong,” Tetsu’s voice sounded shaky, thick. He bent to unwrap the child currently attached to his legs and picked her up, gathering her up in his arms for a big hug. “I missed you very much, baby girl,” he said quietly.
“Eru missed Kuroo-san a lot!”
“Honestly, I don’t think she stopped talking about you since we left,” Kei came up to them both, placing a hand on his daughter’s back, and wiping a stray tear away on Tetsu’s face. “Daichi and Koshi got an earful as well, as did most of the others.”
Tetsu nodded, not quite able to speak yet. So, Kei picked up his bags and led him into his apartment.
“I’ll order some pizza, and take your stuff up to our bedroom…”
Tetsu’s eyes met his. “Our bedroom?”
“I guess I started thinking you were coming home, too,” Kei said quietly. “I’ll be right back.”
“Kei?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
Kei tilted his head. “For what?”
“I’ll explain later, okay?”
“Alright.”

After they ate dinner, watched a movie, and told Eru a few bedtime stories, they left her sleeping soundly, and went through Kei’s room to the balcony. There, they took some of the furniture cushions, laid them on the floor, and then sat down on them. The night was clear and mild, with the nearly full moon shining down on them, with a few twinkling stars visible through the city light. Tetsu moved so that he was behind Kei, wrapping him within the circle of his arms, pulling him close.

“I was thanking you for helping me make a decision,” Tetsu said quietly, answering Kei’s question from earlier. “Actually, you both helped me.”
“A decision?”
Tetsu tightened his hold. “They’re opening offices here in Sendai, and I was considering a move, even before seeing you again. That was the whole reason I was up here in the first place. I needed a fresh start and a new location. Tokyo’s fun, but… it was becoming more like a rat race than anything.”
“I noticed it, too. Way too fast paced for my liking.”
“And it was almost too much for Eru.”
“Yeah. Too much, too fast. I mean, she adored the butterfly garden, and until she got lost, she was having fun at the park. Nerima City isn’t so bad, but still…”
“Understandable.”
“So, what did you decide?”
“The whole way up here, I couldn’t stop thinking about how lonely it was after you left, and how much I wanted to be with you and Eru. You both are happier here, and I’m so much happier with you. So, I called my boss. He wanted a firm answer by Tuesday, when I got back. He got it a couple hours ago, instead.”
“He must’ve been surprised.”
“Possibly. I don’t know. He didn’t sound surprised; more like he expected it, really.”
“When do you move?”
“Officially, not for another month or two, until they find my replacement for the Tokyo offices.”
“Unofficially?”
“I’m already home.”

~*~

On Saturday, they pretty much spent the entire day with the Sawamura’s. They met at the playground, and once again split up, with Daichi and Tetsu walking around the playground on the track, while Koshi and Kei stayed on the bench they always sat on. The latter two watched as Tetsu was ambushed by a small gaggle of children ranging in age from seven to four.

“I bet she’s telling them that Kuroo-san is staying forever,” Koshi said quietly.
Kei smiled. “Well, there’s been a bit of a name change.”
“What??”
“No, not that! Not yet, anyway. No, Eru stopped calling him Kuroo-san. She tried pronouncing ‘Tetsuro’ and ‘Tetsu’, but couldn’t quite do it. Eventually, she ended up calling him ‘Papa.’”
“I bet you could have knocked him over with a feather when she called him that.”
“I think it actually sent him into orbit. It took a good long while before he came back down. Even so, I don’t think he’s quite landed just yet.”
“I don’t think he ever will.”
“I think you’re right.”
“So now that Eru’s adopted him, when’s the wedding?”
“Ohmigod, Koshi! You’re incorrigible!”
“I know. It’s a gift.” The two of them laughed. “But really. When is it?”

~*~

“‘Papa,’ huh?” Daichi asked as they started around the playground again.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to hearing that.”
“It’s amazing, isn’t it? The first time a child calls you Daddy, or Dad… or Papa.”
“Yeah,” Tetsu agreed.
“So when will we see you up here permanently?”
“Not for another month or two. They have to fill my position at the Tokyo headquarters, and I'll have to train them. Once that’s complete, I’ll be given leave to get my stuff together and move.”
“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you don’t have to worry about finding a place.”
“Nope. Well, we might look for something bigger in time, but until then, Kei’s place is just right.”
Daichi laughed. “Somehow, we knew it wouldn’t take you two long to sort everything out. Welcome to the family, by the way.”
“Wait. What?”
“Welcome to the family. Or should I say the flock? Whatever. Either way, Kuroo Tetsuro, former Nekoma Captain, you have hereby been given honorary Crow status.”
Daichi walked a little ways before realizing Tetsu had stopped. When he turned back, Tetsu was looking stunned, which was almost a common occurrence lately.
“Did you think you’d always be the Cat among the Crows?”
“Well… yeah.”
“Technically, you’d be right. But you know our team. You know how we are. You’ve always fit right in with us, so it really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.”
“Yeah.”

~*~

For Tetsu’s last night, at least until next weekend, the three of them made a picnic for dinner. Kei made fried chicken, Tetsu and Eru made little sandwiches, and they made veggie and fruit plates. To make it even more like a picnic, they grabbed a blanket big enough for the three of them to fit, and packed up the food and drinks in a big cooler. Then, they all trooped upstairs, through their bedroom, and out onto the balcony. It was almost dark by the time they settled down to eat, so Tetsu went back inside to fetch the lanterns. When he came back, he found they’d already started without him.

“Couldn’t wait, could ya?” he asked as he sat down.
“Eru hungry!” she said, chomping down on a drumstick.
“I can see that.”
Kei passed him a plate heaped with food; a little bit of everything.
“Thank you, Moonshine,” he said quietly, enjoying the blush that colored his love’s cheeks.
“Papa called Daddy Moonshine,” Eru stated, looking between them.
“I did, indeed.”
“Why?”
“Well, I love the way the moonlight makes his hair look silver, and his eyes shine. The first part of your family name means ‘moon.’ I just mashed it up, and Moonshine became my nickname for your Daddy.”
“Do you remember when you first called me that?” Kei asked quietly.
Tetsu smiled with remembrance. “The night before Karasuno left the Shinzen summer camp. It was a total accident; I never meant for you to hear it.”
“But I did.”
“Yeah, you did.”
They were quiet for a few minutes, staring at each other.
“What Papa call Eru?”
“Would Eru like a nickname, too?”
“YES!”
“Yes, what, Eru?” Kei gently corrected her.
“YES, please?”
“Very good!”
Eru happily clapped her hands at the praise, and then turned back to Tetsu expectantly.
“Hmmm…” Tetsu hummed, appearing thoughtful as he squinted at Eru. “Come here for a sec,” he asked her, and she popped up immediately, jumping into his arms.
Tetsu held her with one arm, and used his free hand to brush back loose strands of her golden hair. He playfully tugged on each of her twin ponytails, making her giggle. And then he booped her little nose, which made her laugh.
“I’ll call you my Little Moon. How’s that?”
“Eru is Little Moon?”
“Yep! And you know what?”
“What?”
“I love my Moonshine, and my Little Moon. Very, very much.”
Eru blinked at him. He wasn’t sure if she was stunned, or just not sure how to respond. Still, when she did finally say something, she turned to Kei and smiled brilliantly.
“Daddy! Papa said he loves Little Moon!”
“Yes, he did,” Kei's voice was shaky, but he was smiling just as brightly as his daughter. “What is Little Moon going to tell Papa?”

Eru turned back to look at Tetsu, and she reached up to pat his face gently with both hands. Then, she surprised them both by leaning forward and giving him a butterfly kiss on his cheek. She wrapped her little arms around his neck, and said very softly…

“I love you too, Papa.”


Chapter 6 - The Tale of the Snow Bunnies

“Kei, sweetie, wake up,” Tetsu said quietly from beside his boyfriend.
“Nnooo…” Kei moaned, trying to burrow back under the blankets. “Too cold.”
“Well, duh,” Tetsu leaned over and kissed his forehead. “It snowed a little earlier.”
One eye popped open. “Snow?”
“Uh huh. It’s not much. Maybe an inch or two, but it’s enough to play in. We can take Eru to the park…”
He had Kei’s full attention. “Is she awake yet?”
“I think so…”
“DADDY!! DADDY IT SNOWED!!”

One small, blonde, messy haired little girl burst into the room and scrambled onto the bed without a care for her daddy’s ankles, knees, and legs, as she clambered up to hug him and smooch his face all over.

“Safe bet that she’s awake, Moonshine,” Tetsu laughed as Kei wrapped his arms around his daughter, laughing and tickling her.
“Daddy, Papa said Little Moon can play in the park!” she exclaimed a few minutes later.
“Ah, but Little Moon needs to wash up, get dressed and eat breakfast, first,” Kei reminded her gently.
“But Daddy!”
“No ma’am. We’ll go to the park after you’ve done what you know you have to do, okay?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she sounded sad, but she smiled and kissed him again before bouncing her way off the bed.
“I’ll go help her,” Tetsu said, also kissing Kei before rising from the bed. “We should probably try to move a bit more quickly. It’s supposed to warm up later today, so the snow won’t last.”
“What time is it now?”
“7:15.”
Kei groaned. “I’m cursed. I’m in love with a morning person, and my daughter’s a morning person. I’m surrounded!”
“Quite dramatic,” Tetsu quipped.
“Accurate, though.”
Tetsu burst out laughing. “I love you, Moonshine.”
“I love you, too. Go help Eru. I’ll be up in a few.”

~*~

“It’s really not much, is it?” Kei said as he sat down on a bench near the playground. Eru was off playing with her friends.
“Not yet,” Koshi replied. “We’re supposed to get more soon, though. Maybe enough to build a snowman, or have a decent snowball fight.”
“Maybe even enough to snow us all in for a few days,”Tetsu said, leaning against Kei’s back. “I could use a vacation, anyway.”
“Well, winter break isn’t too far off. Maybe you could put in some time for that?” Daichi suggested.
“Maybe we’ll have a white Christmas,” Kei added, sounding more excited about that.
“I thought you hated the cold,” Tetsu mumbled.
“I do. But… I love snow.”
“You’re weird.”
“Yeah, but you love me.”
“They’re being cute and adorable again, Dai,” Koshi said sarcastically, grinning at them.
“They’ll grow out of it,” Daichi deadpanned.
“You underestimate…” Tetsu said with a hint of challenge. But he was interrupted by Eru, who ran up holding what appeared to be a mangled attempt at a snowball.
“Daddy, look! Eru made a snowball!”
“Well done!” Kei praised her, and took it when she handed it to him. He was about to say something else, but she was off again.

Kei held the melting tiny mass of snow, pieces of mulch from the playground, and even a few pebbles. He was smiling down at it quite fondly, and his three friends wondered what was going through his mind.

“I have an idea,” Kei said eventually.
“What’s that?” Koshi asked.
“I have a story I want to tell the kids. We just need to find a place where there’s a bit more snow,” he told them, and then shook his hands of the water, mulch and pebbles left behind from Eru’s snowball. “More snow, and less… everything else.”
“Might be some over by the trees,” Daichi suggested. “When do you want to do it?”
“Lunchtime is fine.”
“Now, I’m curious,” Tetsu said, resting his chin on Kei’s shoulder. “What’s the story?”
“You’ll find out at lunchtime.”
“Tease.”
“Impatient.”
“There they go, again.”
“We might be here a while.”

~*~

“When I was little, the first snow of the season was always the best,” Kei told the kids as they sat watching him. Eru was settled quietly in his lap. “It didn’t matter how much was on the ground, it was always the prettiest out of the whole season.”
“But you don’t like the cold, Uncle Kei,” Kenji piped up, and Kei smiled at him.
“No, I don’t. If I had my way, It would be warm like spring, but also have snow to admire and play in.” And he threw a handful of snow in the air, watching it sparkle in the sunlight. “Anyway, I was five years old, and I wanted to make a snowman just like the one I had seen in a movie. But there wasn’t much snow on the ground.”
“Like now?” one of the twins asked, patting the ground.
“Yep, like right now,” he replied. “My big brother saw me looking so sad that I couldn’t make the snowman I wanted, so he told me the story of snow bunnies.”
Eru clapped her hands excitedly. “Snow bunnies!”

Kei kissed the top of her head, and then looked up and winked at Tetsu, who was almost as enthralled as the kids. Kei snorted and chuckled. Then, he looked at Daichi and Koshi, who were looking very proud and parental. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his pint-sized audience.

“Aki-nii told me that snow bunnies are small creatures who are rarely seen. You might catch a glimpse of them, usually after the first snow of the season. Even so, they are very skittish, and can blend into their surroundings, so seeing one is incredibly lucky, indeed.” Bending a bit, he reached down and started gathering up snow, picking out little bits and pieces swept up with the snow. “They are small, not much bigger than a bocce ball, and as white as newly fallen snow. They have eyes as red as holly berries, and long green ears, like leaves.”

He whispered something in Eru’s ear, and she happily scrambled out of his lap and went to grab Tetsu’s hand. She, in turn, whispered something in his ear, and he smiled and pushed to stand up. Hand in tiny hand, she practically dragged him over to where he’d pointed; a small hedge of holly. Meanwhile, Kei put down one oblong snowball, and gathered up more snow for another one, and continued to tell his tale.
“Aki-nii told me about how one morning, when he was small, and after the first snow had fallen, our dad took him out to find snow bunnies. They crept around the holly bushes at home, and carefully looked under them. He told me they didn’t find any bunnies that day, and that he was very sad. So, when he went out the next morning, without our dad, he looked for them again. And he found them! One after another, looking out from under the holly, or huddling together in twos.”
“But… where were you, Uncle Kei?” Kenji asked, looking a little confused. “Didn’t you find them, too?”
“I wasn’t born yet, Kenji.”
“Oh. So… did you ever find snow bunnies?”
“I haven’t been lucky enough to find them. Not yet,” he said with a fond smile.

By this time, Tetsu and Eru came back. She was holding a few branches with long green leaves, like ears, and Tetsu handed him a handkerchief with berries wrapped in it. Their fingers lingered with the hand-off, and then Tetsu took Eru and sat back down for the rest of the story.

“I may not have seen a real snow bunny, yet, but my big brother showed me what they looked like by making one for me.”
“What do they look like?” the other twin asked, scooting forward.

Kei held up a finger to his mouth, shushing her with a wink and a grin. He then pointed to the little group of four snowballs in front of him. They weren’t all uniform in size; some were a little bigger than others. Still, he took the handkerchief of berries and opened it. Each snowball soon bore two little red eyes. Carefully, he took the branches, and bestowed ears to each bunny. When he was finished, he looked up at the kids.

“Each year after, we’d go looking for snow bunnies after the first snowfall. And when we couldn’t find any, we’d make them! Snow bunnies are curious creatures, and maybe if they saw our snow bunnies, they’d visit us!”

Picking up one bunny, he handed it gently to Kenji. “Take very good care of this bunny, okay?”
“What if it melts?”
“Ah, then your bunny has gone away to find his friends. The next time it snows, you can make another one. But! Be sure to leave him outside, okay?”
“Why, Uncle Kei?” the twins asked in unison.
“Well, if he’s outside, he can go find his friends, and maybe bring them back for a visit.”
“WE WANT ONE, TOO!” the twins exclaimed, reaching out for a bunny. But Kei gently stopped them from snatching a bunny off the ground.
“You must be very careful!” he warned them. “Snow bunnies are fragile.”
Two pairs of little hands were quickly pulled back. Kei smiled, picked up one of the smaller bunnies, and gave it to one of the twins. He repeated the process for the other twin. “Remember… They are fragile. Be careful with them.”
“Yes, Uncle Kei.”

What Kei didn’t notice, while he was giving out the snow bunnies he’d made, was little Eru whispering in Tetsu’s ear, and him whispering right back. He didn’t see them looking like they were planning something. All he saw was Eru’s joy when he gave her her own snow bunny, and Tetsu’s soft smile.

~*~

“Time to wake up, sleepyhead,” Tetsu said softly in Kei’s ear.
“Nnooo…” one eye squinted at him. “Too early.”
Tetsu ran his fingers through Kei’s hair, leaned down and kissed him.
“Come on. Eru’s already dressed and ready for breakfast.”
This earned him both eyes open, but still squinting. “What are you two planning?”
“It’s not that we’re planning anything. We’ve already set out plans in motion. All we need is your cooperation.”
“And it can’t wait until… What time is it anyway?”
“7am.”
“A whole fifteen minutes earlier than yesterday?”
“We couldn’t wait. Come on,” and he swept the blankets off his boyfriend. “Time to get up, lazybones.”
“Retaliation will be swift and inevitable.”
“Yeah? I can’t wait.”
“Of course not.”
“Breakfast in thirty minutes. We’ll see you there.”
“Or what?”
“Well, considering there was more snow last night, I could just throw you out on the balcony.”
“More snow?” Both Kei’s eyes were focused on him. “How much?”
“Ankle deep. Koshi says they’re calling for more, too.”
“I guess I’ll get up.”
“We’ll be waiting for you.”

Tetsu stood up from the bed and left the room, calling for Eru as he went. Kei listened as they went downstairs, squabbling about what to make for breakfast. He laughed softly, stretching and levering himself up to sit, feeling happier than he could ever remember being.

Swinging his legs off the side of the bed, he slowly stood up and stretched again. But now, he was curious. Tetsu said the snow was ankle deep, so that meant he’d already gone out in it. Walking to the sliding glass doors, he pulled aside the heavy curtains and looked out. And when his eyes acclimated to the brightness, he gasped, his hand flying up to his mouth.

Sitting on the railing, either in pairs or singles, was an entire clutch of snow bunnies. He looked down at the balcony’s floor, but no noticeable tracks were there. A little sound from behind alerted him that he wasn’t alone anymore. Turning, he saw Tetsu standing in the doorway with Eru in his arms and perched on his hip.

“Daddy found snow bunnies!” Eru said happily, squirming down and running to him. “They came to visit you!”
“They did, didn’t they?” he said quietly as he picked her up and kissed her head. He looked back at his boyfriend, his heart overflowing with love.
Tetsu shrugged. “Maybe they heard your story yesterday,” he said with his signature smirk as he ambled over to join them. “We had to help them up here, but they were determined for you to find them.”
“We?”
Tetsu reached past him and knocked loudly on the glass. Two familiar faces popped up from below the balcony. Both Daichi and Koshi were wearing huge smiles and waving from the ladders they were on. Then, he leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Eru and I made them.”
“They’re perfect,” Kei murmured, holding his daughter closer. “Thank you.”
“You know what?” Tetsu asked, waving back at their friends, who gave them a thumbs up and then climbed back down their ladders.
“What?”
“If you ask me, I think the snow bunnies were sent here.”
Kei was quiet for a moment, and then felt his eyes prickle with tears. “Sent by whom?” he asked, his voice cracking a little with emotion.
“Aki-nii,” Tetsu replied softly, wiping away the first of several happy tears.
“I think so, too,” Kei said.

Tetsu ran his fingers through Kei’s hair again. For just the smallest moment, he saw the happy little boy Kei had been, adoring his big brother and the tale of the snow bunnies.

This became a tradition for their little family for years to come.

//end
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Printed from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net) on Sat Nov 14, 2026 1:13 pm