Pairing: TezuTori
All the TezuTori fics are part of an arc, for the most part. Same general universe. I may mess with it someday...no, that's not true, I will. But not today. Perfectly innocent, with cuteness.
Disclaimer: If they were mine, I'd be richer than hell right now. My bank account says they're not.
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"Did we have something planned for today?"
Ohtori Choutarou called out the question from the back of the condominium in downtown Tokyo, hands full of laundry. He could have easily handed it off to a cleaning lady or a maid, but he preferred to do the laundry himself. It was a minor little domestic chore, but it was a rather grounding influence in the whirlwind existence that was his and his partner's.
"Katsuya and Kimiko are coming over," came the deep, controlled voice from the front room. After a moment, the voice's owner came into view. Tezuka Kunimitsu had long since laid his professional playing days aside, but he still carried himself like the born athlete he was. These days he coached, and several of the hottest players in the world owed their skill and grace to his tutelage. "Remember? Ayumi-chan will be bringing them by in about twenty minutes."
"Oh, yeah. That's right." Ohtori couldn't help but grin. He'd always entertained pangs of jealousy whenever Tezuka referred to his wife -- ex-wife, now -- by such a familiar term...but these days he understood. They were affectionate...just not in the way one would expect from spouses. He, himself, had grown very fond of Tezuka Ayumi, and she of him. They were one large rather odd family, in many ways. "I picked up the dry cleaning."
"Wonderful. Thank you." Tezuka crossed into the room, favoring his beloved with a kiss to the cheek. It had been this bond that had severed his wedding vows a year previous. One would expect the spouse to be rather acrimonious...but Ayumi had known about their long-term liaison long before the wedding, and had welcomed Ohtori in as something of a surrogate uncle, of sorts.
"You're more than welcome." Ohtori returned the gesture before going back to his ironing. Pressing, folding, hanging up; the tasks were refreshing in their monotony, especially for someone who usually spent his days up to his neck in managing a multimillion-dollar endorsement empire. Retirement certainly hadn't cut off the cash flow; the products that Tezuka had lent his touch to designing still dragged in more money than anyone really needed or wanted out of life, and it was Ohtori's job to see that it all worked out properly.
Shortly after finishing with his folding, the doorbell rang. Ohtori padded out of the bedroom to open the door, greeting the petite brunette beyond with a warm smile. Ayumi ushered in two small children, perhaps seven and six; the elder, a boy, held his father's gravitas, while the younger, a girl, had a great deal of her mother's patient good nature. Both of them had the sunlit brown hair that had always been Tezuka's signature, though their mother's bright green eyes were evident in both faces. They chatted for a bit before Tezuka made an appearance from the direction of the bathroom.
"Papa!" Kimiko darted across the room, heading straight for her father. Ohtori glanced over, and couldn't help but feel rather warm and fuzzy; Tezuka had dropped to one knee, holding his arms out, a true smile curving his lips. His children always made him smile, even when nothing else would. It was plain to see that he adored them. He swept the girl up in his arms, giving her an enormous hug before setting her down. Katsuya was slower to cross to his father, but he, too, received a warm embrace.
"Ah, they're too happy." Ayumi chuckled, standing on tiptoe to kiss Ohtori on the cheek. He blushed in spite of himself. "I'll be back tomorrow to collect them, all right?"
He nodded, grinning down at the elegant woman next to him. "Of course, Ayumi-chan. Give our love to everyone, would you?" He knew Ayumi would be spending the next two days with some of her family, and they were all still on excellent terms, despite what could have happened given the situation. Perhaps some of it was for the children. Regardless, it was the case.
"Thank you, Ayumi-chan." Tezuka looked up from his offspring, turning that same smile on his ex-wife. She smiled warmly in turn, padding in to kiss him gently. "We'll take good care of them, as always. My love to your family."
She nodded, heading back towards the door. "I'll pick them up tomorrow night," she reiterated, waving as she slipped out into the building's hallway. Ohtori locked the door behind her, and turned around just in time to catch a launching Kimiko.
"Uncle Choutarou," she said gleefully, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging tightly. He returned the gesture, grinning from ear to ear. "Didja get me a present?" He couldn't help but laugh; Kimiko was always asking for presents, no matter when he saw her.
"Yes, love, I got something for both you and Katsuya," he promised, carting her into the living room and depositing her near her father. Katsuya was talking about playing tennis, about how he was competing against Inui Daisuke and Kawamura Akira in his pre-teen league, and about how he was picking up the game of Go. He was much like his father had been, even at such a young age. Kimiko latched onto her papa, letting Ohtori go back into the back room to dig out the requisite gifts. He could hear laughter from the living room, that of children mingling with the rarely-heard chuckle of their father. He grinned, entirely happy with his life.
He had his family, after all, and nothing compared with that.