#krtsk Twitter Stories

a/n: in which our guys try to explain football (soccer), and fail hilariously. #krtsk

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"Why are they kicking the ball?" Chika asked, looking adorably confused.
"Why are they running around so much?" Jun asked.
"The court is way too big," Kaoru muttered. "And too grassy."
"So, if they kick the ball into the net, that's a good thing?" Akira sounded thoughtful.

The adults took turns looking at each other, highly amused at their sons' and nephews' questions. They were all in the living room, heaped together in a 'nest' they made using nearly every futon, pillow, and blanket in the house, watching a football game on the tv.

It didn't matter that the adults barely knew that much about football in the first place, just that this happened to catch the boys' attention long enough for them to settle down for a little while. Maybe even fall asleep, which was the true goal, here.

"Well, they kick the ball because they can't hold it," Kei offered.
"Just like volleyball!" Chika sounded happy with that answer.
"That's right," Kei replied, relieved when his answer satisfied his nephew. "Just like volleyball." He turned to Tetsu and whispered, "I guess?"

Tetsu held back a laugh; he was having way too much fun watching them more than the game.
"They run around because they have to get to the ball," he told Jun. "They have to kick it into those nets at either end of the field."
"Too much running," his son grumbled.

This coming from the child who could practically run rings around his brother and cousins, Tetsu thought. He buried his face into Kei's neck, trying not to laugh and also not to be noticed by the kids. It was, perhaps, a good thing the game was keeping them interested.

"That isn't a court, it's a field," Kou chimed in, trying to help out. "And it's big like that so the ball has room to travel."
"Okay, but why all the grass? Hard floors would be easier."
"The grass slows the ball down so the players can catch up to it. When it's not in the air."

He said that with as much authority on the subject as he could fake, which only served to crack up the adults even more. Still, that left one last question they hadn't yet tried to answer, and Keiji was the only one among them who could. Maybe. They hoped. And prayed.

"Kicking the ball into the net is a good thing," Keiji sounded suitably serious and knowledgeable. "It means that team scored a point."
"Not the other team?"
"No, not the other team."
"They need more guys watching the net."
"Indeed."

By this time, the others had completely lost it. They laughed so hard, tears streamed down their faces. For four curious little boys, they tried to answer their questions. They did the best they could do, under the circumstances, which wasn't much. It seemed to work, though. There weren't any more questions, at least.

Sometime later, Akiteru returned with Megumi, and found them all sleeping. He snapped a photo, and sent it to mom. Megumi wiggled to be let down, so he did that. She toddled over, crawled over Kou, and cuddled up with Kei, who woke up enough to smile and to snuggle her in his arms.