"I'm home," Aomine called quietly upon entering his little apartment home, taking off his shoes at the door. Working graveyard meant returning home around the same time Kuroko got up and ready for his work day. Their schedule wasn't the most ideal, but that was how they had to line it up to be sure there was someone looking after their son.
Aomine strolled through the hallway and into the living room area. It was still dark inside, save for the dawn sunrise shining through the cracks of the window blinds and the TV Kuroko probably turned on during his zombie stage of drowsiness.
Aomine headed over to the window to let in the light, turning off the TV at the same time. "Tetsu," he called, still somewhat quiet as to not disturb his son sleeping in the other room. The 2-year-old should be asleep for another hour or so.
After opening the blinds, Aomine turned and nearly leaped out of his skin. There Kuroko was, eyes still lidded as he drank his coffee at the table. The caffeine clearly hasn't kicked in yet.
Aomine gave a small chortle, walking to Kuroko. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty," he joked, ruffling up Kuroko's hair in hopes of helping that bedhead his spouse neglected to fix.
Kuroko grumbled a bit, tiredly blinking his eyes open. "Daiki?" he yawned when finally realizing Aomine was back. He rubbed his eyes. "Welcome back. When'd you get home?"
"Just now," Aomine answered, now by his son's bedroom door. He opened it a crack to peek in and check on the sleeping 2-year-old. "Kazu?" he whispered in his baby voice. But instead of finding his son, Aomine found the nursery a mess and the crib empty.
Wordlessly, Aomine closed the nursery door. After a second, he opened it again. Then closed it. Open. Close. Open. Close. No change.
Finally, he stiffly turned around to Kuroko, who was back in their small kitchen with another cup of coffee. "Tetsu, where's Kazuki?"
Kuroko narrowed his eyes unsurely at Aomine, wondering if his drowsiness was messing with his mind and ears again. "What?"
Aomine opened Kazuki's door again for a final check, closing it after another room scan. "Yeah, he's not in there…"
The apartment went silent for the short time it took the news of their son's disappearance to sink in before both Kuroko and Aomine jumped into panic filled action. They separated and scattered the small apartment, checking the kitchen, the bathroom, then their own and the spare room, the closets, and even the balcony. Nothing.
"How did this happen?" Kuroko asked aloud, dashing into the nursey. His eyes were full of dread. "I tucked him in last night and he went to bed fine. Should we call the police?"
"Tetsu, I am the police, and all I can think of right now is—" Aomine paused in the middle of his sentence.
A little calmer, Aomine scanned the nursery more carefully and walked towards a pile of comforters on the floor by the crib. He picked up the assorted comforters before looking in the bare crib. That was when he and Kuroko heard beautiful giggles that could only belong to their son, the two of them sprinting out of the room.
They froze once entering the living room. There Kazuki was, sitting on the couch with his toddler mind distracted by anime after working to turn the TV back on.
Kuroko and Aomine gaped at their child.
"So that's why the TV was on…" Aomine commented, catching Kuroko when the other started dropping to the floor with post-panic relief.
"He was so quiet," Kuroko said, voice cracking despite his smile. It matched his teary eyes though.
"Still, we didn't even catch that bedhead while running around the place?" Aomine added as a joke, beginning to laugh at the ridiculousness.
Kuroko began laughing as well, finding his footing again. He walked over to Kazuki, picking the toddler up. "Come here, boy. Learning one dad's abilities to escape with another dad's low presence." He sighed. "Thank goodness you're usually loud and rowdy, or else we'll never be able to find you."
Kazuki stared up at Kuroko. He didn't quite know what his dad said, but he still laughed anyways.
"But in all seriousness," Aomine started as Kuroko bounced their giggly son in his arms, "how'd he get out here no problem? And what about that mess?"
Rustling was then heard coming from the nursery. After a moment of thought, the family went back into the nursery. The rustling was coming from the closet.
Wordlessly, Aomine opened the closet door. Out rolled Nigou, the poor Malamute trapped in Kazuki's closet with an empty sippy cup suck on his muzzle. Nigou gave a sad whine.
"Nigou!?" Kuroko and Aomine yelled, the latter kneeling down to get the sippy cup off Nigou's muzzle. It took a bit, but he managed to remove it.
"What happened, boy?" Aomine asked with a laugh when Nigou jumped into his arms as if the big dog was still a puppy. He had no problem standing and holding Nigou like a baby beside Kuroko and Kazuki.
Kazuki squealed in glee, reaching out for Nigou. Only, Nigou yelped, striving to get out of the toddler's reach while Aomine struggled to keep them from falling.
All Nigou could think of was how Kazuki constantly climbed out of the crib and land safely on the pillows he threw out that early morning even after Nigou kept putting him back in with Kuroko still asleep and Aomine at work. The fourth time Nigou tried to put Kazuki back in the crib, the dog had lost his footing on the chair he used. The chair fell over, taking things down with it, while Kazuki went flying in the air—albeit laughing in glee. Nigou had jumped to save Kazuki, but sadly slipped on a fallen cup. Nigou landed on his back, though Kazuki landed safely on the dog's belly. At the same time, the cup landed on Nigou's muzzle and got stuck.
Nigou attempted to get the cup off his muzzle so he could get Kazuki somehow back in his crib again. He used his front paws to try and pull the cup off, but they slid off the cup. Nigou flew backwards from his own force when trying to pull back, rolling into Kazuki's closet. The dog barely had time to shake off his dizziness before realizing Kazuki was waddling towards him. Kazuki wanted to play with Nigou, though sadly tripped and shut the door on him instead.
When Kazuki got himself back up, he noticed Nigou was nowhere to be seen. With a clueless shrug, the toddler merrily made his way into the living room for the TV, Nigou forgotten in the closet.
It was truly a terror filled morning for everyone.
Now, imagine a fluffy haired baby looking outrageously offended while Aomine casually walks by and turns off the tv. that's Kazuki he he he. he had to climb down the couch, waddle to the tv, turn it back on, waddle back to the couch, and climb back on again. Based off true life event from my older sister! when she was a baby, she apparently stacked her pillows (not throw over) and used them to climb out of her crib. she landed on my parents' bed. anywho, my mom walks in like 'WTF' while there my sister was, chilling like 'yo!'