Loud, high-pitched noises echoed from the hallway, breaking through his slumber. He blinked his clear blue eyes open to find his father smiling at him. It was a nice thing to wake up to.
"Good morning, Yuuma. It's time to get up, Umi-chan's coming to play later, remember?" His father said, ruffling his hair affectionately.
Yuuma rubbed the sleep away from his eyes and nodded. He liked it when Umi-chan came to play.
"Morning, Daddy." He said.
"Come on, breakfast will be done soon, we'll get you dressed afterwards."
"Tetsu, I need some help out here!" his Papa's loud voice came from outside, followed by an equally loud crash.
Daddy chuckled and picked him up in his arms. Yuuma thought this was really nice because he was too sleepy to walk. He leaned his head on Daddy's shoulders and drifted off to sleep. Just a little short nap until they got back to the dining room.
"You can't just leave me alone with the stove and the twins, Tetsu!" Kagami-kun moaned. "You know they can run now!"
As if on cue, one of the twins (probably Rai) darted around Tetsuya's legs, laughing histerically while the other (definitely Kou) tried to chase after him, half laughing, half bawling and calling his brother's name. Tetsuya nudged his older child softly before he sat him on a chair (he'd outgrown the baby chair right before the twins were born and that broke Tetsuya's heart). Once again, Rai swooshed by his legs, but this time Tetsuya was fast enough to catch him and pick him up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Rai, your brother wants you to wait for him, don't be mean." He chastised as he caught his other baby and threw him over his other shoulder. Kagami-kun could easily hold all three of their children at the same time, but Tetsuya feared the twins were growing so fast he'd soon be unable to carry them both together, and that saddened him immensely. " It's breakfast time too, Papa has prepared something delicious for us and it would be rude to make him wait." He added as he sat the twins in their respective baby chairs. He knew his fourteen-month-old babies couldn't really understand what he was saying (Rai could barely call 'Papa' and 'Kou' and 'Niwow', while Kou was already able to name all four other members of his family, but that was about it), but he'd long gotten used to talking to infants who couldn't respond.
Tetsuya grabbed the milk bottles Kagami had left on the table and gave one to each twin to keep them busy, then moved to the kitchen counter to grab the two plates with diced bananas and cheese cubes. Something else to add to the list of things that broke Tetsuya's heart was thinking how six months ago his little tigers could barely eat mashed vegetables, and yet in a year's time or less they'd be holding their spoons without his help. While the idea of being able to eat without having to wrestle the little rascals -who had not taken after their father's voracious appetite- sounded quite nice, it just made him realize how fast his children were growing. He felt it was just yesterday that Yuuma had first come home with them, and yet in less than a year he'd be starting pre-school, where he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on him. He rarely mentioned it, because every time the topic came up, it always ended with Kagami getting paranoid and trying to convince him that their son didn't need education and that he should be home-schooled and other such nonsense. If Tetsuya was miserable thinking of their kids growing up, the mere notion completely destroyed Kagami-kun.
"Breakfast's ready!" Kagami-kun called as he placed three plates with pancakes on the table, one with at least a dozen for himself, one with three for Tetsuya and one with two for Yuuma, all generously doused in syrup.
Tetsuya sat between the twins while Kagami sat between Rai and Yuuma. They called "Ittadakimasu" and each grabbed a cheese cube from the twins' plates with their chopsticks. Kou opened his mouth and glomped on the cheese happily, but Tetsuya could hear Kagami already bargaining to give Rai a little bit of pancake if he ate properly. While his little boy chewed, Tetsuya took a bite from his own pancakes and looked up to see that Yuuma had already eaten half of the two he had. The twins may not have inherited Kagami-kun's insatiable stomach, but Yuuma obviously had. At this rate, his nearly five-year-old child would be eating more than him in no time.
Kou slammed his small hands on his chair to draw his attention and Tetsuya picked a piece of banana to feed it to him. Kou didn't seem as pleased with this as he did with the cheese, but he still chewed it without protesting.
"Papa, more!" Yuuma called, lifting his empty plate, his cheek smeared with syrup.
"Yuuma, how do we ask for things?" Tetsuya chastised him with a small smile on his face.
"More please!" Yuuma corrected himself, a little bashful.
Kagami-kun got up from his seat and picked up their son's plate. With his other hand he grabbed a napkin and wiped Yuuma's cheek clean before ruffling his light blue hair affectionately.
"Well, if you ask so nicely how could I say no?" he said with a grin and made a quick run to the kitchen to bring two more pancakes. Maybe the day in which his child out-ate him was finally upon him.
"Kagami-kun, this household can not afford two Kagami-kun-sized stomachs. You better be prepared to sacrifice some of your appetite for your son."
Kagami glared at him before taking his seat on the table and offering a small piece of pancake to Rai. "We can totally afford it, idiot. 'Sides, it'll be a while before he really eats like me."
Tetsuya quirked one fine eyebrow as he munched on another piece of pancake. His son was already a quarter through his second serving, and his husband was probably two bites away from finishing his twelve-pancake tower. He thought with slight dismay that they would soon have to adjust the amount of food on their groceries list.
"Papa mwow!" Kou said enthusiastically, clearly imitating his brother.
Tetsuya could hear the sound of cutlery hitting the table. "T-t-t-tetsu is that his fifth w-w-woooord? Oh my god, I'm gonna' get the camera, I-"
"Kou has to say 'please' too." Yuuma instructed, looking at his little brother, but Kou only responded by slamming his hands on the chair again and squealing "Mwow!"
Tetsuya laughed. He wished all mornings could be like this.
When the doorbell rang, Kagami-kun was rolling on the ground while tickling their three children and making roaring sounds as the kids laughed histerically. Ninigou was running in circles around them, barking excitedly.
"The tickling tiger will have to take a little rest, we should go to greet Umi-chan." Tetsuya called as he walked to the door. Yuuma hopped to his feet and followed after him while Kagami picked up the twins. Ninigou followed them to the door wagging its tail happily.
"Hello Midorima-kun, Takao-kun and Umi-chan." Tetsuya greeted as he opened the door.
Midorima Umi looked up at him, her large green eyes sparkling. Her black hair was divided in two cute braids with dragonfly pins on top. She was wearing an orange dress with a sunflower pattern and two little pockets on the skirt.
"Hello Tetsu-sensei!" she greeted cheerfully, making a polite bow. Definitely Midorima-kun's daughter.
"Is that your lucky item?" He asked, pointing at the plastic black katana she was holding.
"Yes. Today Pisces is ranked third in luck!" She explained with a serious expression. "Aquarius is number one, so Tetsu-sensei has nothing to worry about." She continued. "But Virgo is at the bottom of the rank, so I brought Yuu-chan's lucky item too." She declared finally, pulling a golf ball out of her pocket and handing it over to Yuuma, who took it gladly. The two were barely six months apart in age and played a lot together, so Tetsuya was already used to seeing random items popping up in his house and no longer bothered asking where they'd come from.
Umi stepped out of her shoes and placed them neatly on the shelf by the entrance before stepping inside. "Hello, Nini!" she cheered, petting the puppy's head. Ninigou licked her hand and she giggled, then took off with Yuuma and the puppy towards the living room.
"Sorry for the intrusion." Midorima said mechanically, as he copied his daughter's actions.
"Sorry, Kuroko, to think Umi just graduated from daycare a few months ago and now we're bringing her over to your place too." Takao continued with an apologetic smile.
Tetsuya shook his head. "Not at all, I quite miss having a smart and well-behaved little girl like Umi-chan at the daycare. The other kids miss her too." He said with a smile, guiding his friends to where the kids were playing.
"'Sup, Midorima, Takao!" Kagami called from the floor, where he was being "defeated" by the four kids (although the twins' participation in this heroic feat consisted on lightly patting the monster's stomach and little more), while their dog played dead on the floor next to him.
"'Sup!" Takao replied cheerily. "What're we playing now?"
"Uncle Taiga is a monster and we defeat it with the power of teamwork." Umi explained, pointing at Kagami with her plastic katana. Although she was only half a year older than Yuuma, her speech was a lot more complex. Tetsuya knew it was normal for girls to develop faster than boys, but it still bothered him some times.
"The power of teamwork huh?" Takao mused as he approached the "battleground" with a mischievous grin. "I'll have you know that… monsters can use that too!" he roared as he grabbed Umi by the waist and flung her over his shoulder, then did the same thing with Kou. Kagami rose from the ground and tickled Yuuma until he dropped his "weapon" (a sheep plushie, a very soft and fluffy one). Rai darted off screeching while the other three kids squealed and laughed in delight and the puppy barked and ran in circles.
Tetsuya laughed and noticed the faint sound of Midorima's chuckle beside him. Some fifteen years ago it would have been a strange, almost alien sound, but no one could deny the extremely positive effect Takao had had on Midorima. Even a blind man could notice how happy he was now (which also made him a lot more pleasant to be around, a good thing considering how they'd practically raised their children together).
Takao dropped Umi-chan on the floor next to Yuuma, so Kagami could tickle them both to tears and then rushed to chase after Rai. When he caught him, he picked him up and cackled wickedly. The twins were laughing, flailing and kicking.
"Have you ever thought of getting another one? A child, I mean?" Tetsuya asked suddenly, while Takao pretended to be defeated and dropped on his back, letting the twins crawl on top of him and attack him. The whole room was bursting with laughter. "He's always been very good with kids."
"I am sure he would take that as great compliment coming from a kindergarten teacher." Midorima replied, the fondness very obvious in his voice. "But we are fine as we are. Perhaps it would be nice for Umi to have a brother or sister but… I also think she has Shiori and Yuuma who are like siblings for her… she's honestly more concerned about getting a puppy now."
Tetsuya smiled and looked at the puppy that was still running in circles all over the room, then to his older dog that lay pleasantly next to the window, basking in the warm sunlight. Although the kids loved Nigou, he was too old to play with them now and spent most of his time lying down near the air conditioner or crawling under the kotatsu in winter. When the twins had turned one, they'd all decided to visit the nearest shelter and pick up a puppy to play with the kids and keep Nigou company, and thus Ninigou (Yuuma had picked the name) had come to their lives. The addition had made their lives even more hectic, but definitely brighter too. "I see, I can definitely understand that. In the daycare it really feels like a big family, but it's gotten lonelier now that Shiori-chan and Umi-chan graduated. This year is Yuuma's last too. I just get melancholic, I guess. I want them to grow and see the world, but I also don't want to let them go." He looked down at his teacup and thought that the next time he blinked, the twins would be graduating from high school and maybe even moving to a college dorm. It was a terrifying thought.
"Well, Kazunari and I quite appreciate being able to get a full night's sleep now, but I can't deny that I miss the times when she was so small she fit in my two hands alone."
"Hmmm…" Tetsuya hummed. "Sleeping through the night sounds like a nice thing. I can't really remember what that's like."
They both laughed and turned to watch the kids overpowering the monsters with victorious roars.
"Woaha! As expected from Kagami!" Takao exclaimed as he looked at the food with sparkles in his eyes.
"I like visiting Yuu-chan because Uncle Taiga makes the yummiest food." Umi declared as she sat between Takao and Yuuma.
"Oooi, you're hurting your Papa, you can't say that!" Takao responded, feigning dismay.
"But it's true." Her straightforward tone and serious look were probably the most amazing display of Midorima genetics Tetsuya had ever witnessed.
They all thanked for the food (Yuuma still couldn't say the whole word, so he just said 'Iddamasu') and started eating. This time, it was Kou who was being fuzzy about the food, so Tetsuya had to bargain with him to get him to eat the cooked vegetables.
"This is very delicious Uncle Taiga!" Umi said, her green eyes sparkling, her big unabashed grin very reminiscent of Takao's.
Kagami grinned back. "I'm glad you like it, there's still a lot left if you want doubles."
"When I go to preschool I will share my bento with Umi-chan." Yuuma beamed as he glomped through half of his plate.
Tetsuya smiled and decided not to tell Yuuma that when he went to preschool, Umi-chan would already be in first grade. He could wait another year. He already knew their kids would be going to the same elementary school anyway. Like Midorima had said, Yuuma and Umi-chan had always been really close, which he found truly adorable.
"Please Kou, Papa cooked this for you, it is rude not to eat it." He said, holding a spoonful of mashed potatoes close to his son's mouth.
"Mmmmmm" Kou responded, making bubbles with his spit. Tetsuya wanted to be annoyed, but it was honestly very cute. It was very difficult to get truly upset at his babies. "Mmmiishaaan!" he squealed, and pointed at Umi-chan before glomping on the spoon.
Takao chuckled. "I think your kid just learned our little girl's name." he said merrily.
"Ooooh! That! That's Kou's sixth word! That's two new words he's said today!" Kagami-kun roared excitedly and rushed out of the room to get the camera.
Takao laughed again. "Sixth word? I didn't know Kagami kept counting."
Tetsuya waved his hand dismissively. "He counted until Yuuma's fifty-sixth word and then lost count." He remembered the day Yuuma had learned to say "sleepy" and Kagami-kun had gotten wildly excited, only to get crestfallen when he realized he couldn't remember what number of new word this was. Tetsuya had had to console him and convince him that it didn't make him a terrible father. "Umi-chan's first word was 'Shin-chan', right?" he remembered when she first arrived at day care and would call "Shiishan, Shiishan!" excitedly on the rare occasion that Midorima could pick her up.
"Papa calls Otou-san's name a lot, it was natural." She said nonchalantly, and Tetsuya worried about how terrifyingly Midorima this five year old little girl was. She definitely had a lot of Takao's joie de vivre and was very open about her emotions, but her speech and thoughts were so similar to Midorima's, Tetsuya was almost surprised by the lack of 'nanodayo' in her statements.
"In fact, her fifth and sixth words were 'lucky item'" Midorima interjected looking quite proud.
Tetsuya and Takao both snorted. "Shin-chan was counting too?" Takao snickered, and Midorima responded with a glare.
When Kagami came back with the camera, Kou was done talking new words, much to Kagami's disappointment. "I never get these things on tape." He lamented, looking genuinely distraught. Tetsuya smiled. Of all the parents he'd met while working at the daycare, no one doted on their children quite like Kagami-kun. It was very cute, but also made him worry about how Kagami would deal with their kids growing up.
"Don't sweat it Kagami, since you brought that why don't we take a group photo?" Takao proposed with a grin.
"Sounds like a good idea to me." Tetsuya replied, wiping Kou's cheeks with a napkin while Kagami picked up their plates. He wanted as many pictures of the kids as he could get.
"Let's go to the living room then."
Tetsuya picked up the twins, his arms already tired from carrying them all over the house today. The days he would be able to hold them both at the same time were really coming to an end. He knew he ought to nudge them to walk on their own, but he wanted to enjoy the feeling of their little bodies curled in his arms as much as he could.
They sat on the floor. Yuuma sat on Kagami's lap, and Kuroko next to him, still holding the twins in his arms. Yuuma called for Ninigou, who came trotting happily and climbed on Kagami's lap too. Kagami glared at the dog, but he was long over his fear of them, so he just patted its head softly a couple of times. Even Nigou, who hadn't really moved from his spot next to the window, decided to join them, laying down next to Kagami and resting his head on his lap, next to Ninigou's paws. Kagami looked positively stuffed with two dogs and one child on top of him, but his grin was as bright as ever.
"OK guys, say cheese!" Takao said as he pressed the timer on the camera and rushed to pick Umi-chan up, sit her on his lap, sit next to Midorima and rest his head on his shoulder. Midorima instinctively wrapped an arm around Takao's waist. Yuuma and Umi squealed "Cheese!" enthusiastically, while the twins just squeaked and giggled as the red light blinked to show the picture had been taken. Takao and Kagami got up to check it out, and they both grinned as they looked at the screen.
"Woah, this is really nice! You guys must send it over, I want to print it."
Tetsuya got up, leaving the twins sitting on the floor and took the camera. It was an extremely beautiful photo. All of them were smiling, even Midorima-kun. The twins weren't looking at the camera but at each other, but he could almost hear their cute giggles coming from the image. Yuuma and Umi-chan were making peace signs with their fingers and grinning happily. Even the two dogs looked like they were smiling.
"I will definitely print it. I want one to keep here and one for the school. Should I print one for you too?"
"Awwww I think I want one for our home and one for the office too, and Shin-chan's definitely gonna want to keep one at the hospital, right?" Takao said, passing the camera over to Midorima, who smiled softly and nodded.
"Kagami-kun wants one for the gym locker?"
"Yeah, definitely. Everyone in the team is very jealous of my beautiful family." Kagami replied with a cheeky grin.
Tetsuya smiled. Of course they would be. Their family was everything he could've ever hoped for.
"We should totally do this some other time." Takao said as he picked up Umi-chan's lucky item that laid forgotten near the couch, along the dragonfly hairclips she'd been wearing. Midorima scooped their little sleeping princess up in his arms, her cute braids long undone. After the photograph, the kids had been playing with coloring books and gone out to the garden to play catch with Ninigou until all four of them had dropped in exhaustion, curled on top of Nigou.
"Absolutely, the kids really like having Umi-chan here. It is quite nice that they can meet even if they're not in daycare together anymore."
"Next time we should invite the whole gang and take a really amazing group picture." Takao continued as they walked towards the door.
"If we do that, we gotta do it at Akashi's place." Kagami interjected with a wicked sneer.
"Ah! And then the little bocchan will have to clean up after the mess? Sounds like a plan to me!"
Tetsuya jabbed Kagami's ribs at the same time that Midorima smacked the back of Takao's head, making both of them wince.
"Although I objectively agree that Akashi's home has a bigger yard which is more suitable for the children to play." Midorima admitted, slipping his shoes on, careful not to wake Umi-chan, while Takao picked up her shoes.
"See? That's exactly what we meant too, right?"
"Y-yeah, totally."
Tetsuya rolled his eyes. "We certainly should set something like that up. I will call Akashi-kun to see when he's free."
"Right! Thanks for having us today."
"Anytime."
"Goodbye Kuroko, Kagami. You should take this opportunity, now that all three of them are exhausted, to rest yourselves."
"That actually sounds pretty great. See ya."
"Oh, and print us one copy of that picture of the kids with Nigou too, please!"
"Sure."
Takao shut the door as they left, waving goodbye one last time.
Kuroko and Kagami made it back to the living room, where both dogs and the children were curled together and sleeping peacefully.
"I don't remember the last time this house was this quiet." Kagami whispered, a smile on his lips.
"Indeed. We should get them to bed, they will catch a cold."
"Aw, c'mon Tetsu, it's almost summer and the house is warm. Besides, how could they catch a cold with that fur blanket they've got?" Kagami pointed at Nigou. The twins were literally on top of him, while Yuuma was resting on his long fluffy hair, with Ninigou curled against his back. Technically, neither of them were on the floor. "We'll take a twenty minute nap on the couch, c'mon. The doctor recommended that we rested." Kagami continued, his grin growing. "We'll move them afterwards."
Tetsuya had to admit the idea sounded quite tempting, and he felt his limbs a little bit heavy from all the activity they'd had today.
"Alright, but just twenty minutes." He conceded, already making his way to the couch. Kagami beat him there and plopped down on the cushions before pulling him into his arms, his hands resting on top of Tetsuya's stomach, chuckling lightly. Tetsuya snuggled closer and placed his hands on top of his husband's, feeling his warm breath on top of his head.
"Y'know Tetsu, I'm pretty convinced I'm the luckiest man alive." Kagami-kun whispered to his ear, his words a little slurred by slumber. His breath tickled the back of Tetsuya's neck. "To have you, and the kids, and our amazing friends…"
"What would the Kagami-kun from fifteen years ago say if he heard you calling Midorima-kun an 'amazing friend'?" Tetsuya teased, entwining his legs with Kagami's.
Kagami responded with a "punishment" smooch to the cheek. "Shut up."
"Ah, but I actually have to disagree with you." Tetsuya whispered, his eyes fixed on their sleeping children, not even a meter away from them. "The luckiest one is definitely me. I am the one that married Kagami-kun, after all."
Kagami snorted and buried his nose into Tetsuya's hair, hugging him tighter. "I'll totally fight you about this when we wake up." He slurred before his breathing turned even and slower, signaling he'd fallen asleep. Tetsuya smiled and closed his eyes, allowing warm, sweet slumber to take over him.
At least until three minutes later, when Rai inhaled one of Nigou's hairs and sneezed and started wailing.
The end
This is my very late entry for KagaKuro day, I wanted something sweet and fluffy and family-like and since TakaMido day just passed I added some of that here. This is also because I'm absolutely conviced that MidoTaka and KagaKuro will be like BFF families, living in the same neighbourhood, taking their kids to the same schools, having playdates and such.
Can any of you guess whose child is Shiori? ;D
When I write KagaKuro I always forget about Nigou and then have to somehow force him into somewhere just so you guys know he's there lmao. Since Nigou's name is actually "Tetsuya No. 2" (Nigou being the 'Number 2' part), the new dog is called Ninigou as in "Nigou 2". Felt like the kind of name a kid would choose.
For anyone who's not following me on tumblr, the kids' names are written like this (translations are very loose:
Umi 宇美 = "Beautiful Universe"
Yuuma 友優= "Kind friend"
Kou 虎翼= "Winged tiger"
Rai 光 = "Light"
Hope you liked this, I always suffer writing plotless fluff because I live for drama, but I also love reading about the happy fluffy futures of my favorite couples. Thanks for reading!