Notes: I after realised as I was writing this that Daichi could very well be John Winchester in this equation. I wish I'd thought of that before I'd started writing this Kid AU... Haikyuu Hunter AU? Someone take that challenge!

"I am sick of this behavior young man."

"Sick sick sick."

"What kind of an example do you think you're setting for your brother?"

"Setting setting setting."

Sighing as he pulled up to a set of traffic lights, Daichi Sawamura glanced over his shoulder to stare down his son.

"I'm serious Yuu, this is the third call this month. I can't keep coming and bailing you out every time something doesn't go your way."

The tiny five year old buckled in a car seat designed for children far younger looked distraught. Dark hair combed into a spike and wild amber eyes glowing, he looked ready to burst into tears at any minute. The babbling redhead on the opposite side of the car however looked about ready to pop at every minute. Mimicking his father's every couple of words was Hinata's new favour thing and the two year old just loved to talk. It was hard to get him to stop and settle once he got going.

"It's not my fault." The fierce youngster wailed, yelling at the back of Daichi's seat the second he'd turned around and started off from the green light. "Everybody hates me." Rolling his eyes as he gripped the steering wheel tighter, Daichi tried in vain to push aside the stress headache that was approaching at a rapid rate.

"Nobody hates you Yuu, you just have to learn to not get so caught up. And no more hitting." He sounded like a broken record. This was the second daycare centre that had politely suggested he should take the rumbustious toddler elsewhere and he was almost at his wits end. Nishinoya needed to be at the centre, not just so he could work but also for the boys themselves.

They need friends and social interaction, every parenting book had taught him that. But Nishinoya just didn't work with the other kids, he was brilliant with Hinata however. Given the smallest amount of responsibility and he was fine and dandy. But his brother never argued back at him, other kids did and that was when there were issues. Nishinoya needed to be in charge of everything, and the minute he wasn't all hell would break loose. He could be happiest, friendliest child and then suddenly he'd turn and then they would be rushing another kid to the hospital with a pencil stab wound. Daichi was still not over the horrible gut wrench guilt of having to apologise to those poor parents again and again.

It wasn't his fault, nor Nishinoya's fault really. He'd been to every child psychologist in the province trying to find the reason for his son's nasty attitude. It's a phase they'd all said. Nishinoya wasn't a particularly unhappy boy and he certainly wasn't mistreated. Some of the paediatrician had suggested a strict routine to ensure that nothing came as a surprise and to install a sense of certainty that Nishinoya could feel comfortable with. But it was hard with a fussy two year old and just himself. Hinata was a bouncing happy handful and while sleep times and eating times always fell around the same time each night, there was no way Daichi could play out his and the boy's days week by week. Life was just too unpredictable for that. Like now for example.

Since Nishinoya had decided that red was his colour today and that no one else could wear it, there was a poor little girl with a nasty black eye somewhere out there. And now their entire little family was piled into the car heading back to the garage so they could wait out the day until Daichi could go home and find them another daycare.

"Can I have an icy pole?" Forcing his temper to balance as they pulled into the garage, Daichi turned in his seat to point at the small terror.

"No icy poles for a month. You don't hit girls. You don't hit anyone. Ever." Bottom lip trembling, Nishinoya screwed his face up in an effort not to cry, ultimately failing as Daichi hopped out of the car and pulled Hinata from his car seat. "I don't want to hear it Yuu." Playing the tough dad was hard especially when he knew his son was truly sorry for his actions, but he needed to put his foot down and soon, otherwise Nishinoya would just keep playing up.

"Noya Noya Noya." The reasonably quiet Hinata suddenly perked up, laughing and squirming in his father's arms as Daichi managed to wrangle the sobbing Nishinoya from the car.

"Kids in the garage again?" Arms full of wiggling toddlers, Daichi barely managed a shrug.

"It can't be helped, I'm sorry." Lighting up a smoke and pacing to the back of the open garage door, Ukai took a deep drag before pointing at his co worker.

"Well you could at least act sorry. That son of yours causing trouble again?"

As much as Ukai Keishin sounded like a hard ass, he had a heart of pure gold. Enough to let a single dad, down on his luck work part at his garage, fixing cars and gain harvesters for cash in hand. And as much as he fussed about kids in the work place and all the extra effort he had to go through to stand just outside the door to ensure the cigarette smoke didn't touch their little lungs, he certainly had one of the best relationships with Nishinoya Daichi had ever seen outside of family.

"He's being difficult again yes." Stubbing out his smoke and crossing the grease slicked showroom floor, Ukai heaved the screaming child from his arms, blowing in his ear and smacking him lightly on the bottom.

"Hey, none of that here. You're at work now. No more tears, no crying, only hard work, rememberer?" So stunned was the little boy that his tears faded in an instant, leaving behind a mild look of shock, quickly replaced by an intense stare of determination. Laughing Ukai chuckled Hinata under the chin for good measure before dropping Nishinoya to the ground. "Good, now take that brother of yours and go find Kenma. The grease monkey is mopping down the office, you can help him. Help remember." Offering his fist in a pact of helpfulness, Ukai bumped it gently before sending the two on their way. Hinata was still wobbly on his feet, but Nishinoya had a knack of prompting the little boy faster by standing him on his shoes and walking them both.

"You need a woman, or a dog or something for those kids." Sighing as he stripped off his nice, respectable shirt, Daichi slipped on a pair of torn, stained overalls atop his jeans and singlet.

"I know I know. I just don't know what yet."

"Well figure it out soon okay? Every once in a while is alright, but I need Kenma out here. His apprenticeship is going to be worth shit if all he does is babysit your kids." Flexing his shoulder before heaving up a broken car bonnet, Daichi sighed.

" I feel bad enough about it okay? I'll figure something out tonight, they won't be back tomorrow."

"Hey I didn't mean it like that, I like the kids. I'm just trying to run a business here."

Daichi didn't answer, couldn't. Ukai had given him so much leeway already, he'd be pushing his luck to talk back. Putting his head down and focusing on the mindless task before him was the best path at this point in time. He'd figure everything else out later.

Washing his hands clean for the third time that evening, exhausted and aching Daichi took a seat in front of the TV and watched the mindless chatter for a total of ten seconds. Zoning out, it only took a second before Nishinoya had climbed into his lap, hands fisted in his shirt.

"Bedtime," Daichi reminded him, feeling the boy's weight sit naturally in his arms.

"I'm sorry daddy, I messeded up." Now his heart ached as well as he's head. Running a hand down the small boy's back, Daichi couldn't resist pulling him in for a hug. He'd been so hard on him all day and despite the smile at the garage, Nishinoya had sulked for much of the afternoon. He knew he'd done wrong, but that didn't make it any easier.

"You've really got to stop this." There was such desperation in his tone, Daichi was sure there were tears in his eyes. "Seriously Yuu. We don't need to fight the world okay? It's not trying to hurt us." Poisoning his son with such lies would be useful at least in the short run, they could jump the whole 'the world is evil and everyone is a bad person' hurdle when it came to it. For the moment though, he'd do anything to stem Nishinoya's aggression.

Yawning suddenly, Daichi rubbed his eyes before heaving himself up and off the sofa, Nishinoya clinging to his chest as they walked down the hall. The small, two bedroom unit had a nice little backyard and enough space for the three of them, at the moment at least. That'd all change when Nishinoya grew up and wanted his own room. But for the moment he was happy enough sharing with Hinata and his little night light wasn't going to be an issue for at least another couple of years. Plus the rent was cheap, leaving a small amount of disposable income for things like camping trips and a trampoline for Nishinoya's birthday.

Bumping the door open with his hip, Daichi glanced quickly into Hinata's crib, pleased to see him still asleep, pacifier hanging loosely from his lips. Putting Nishinoya to bed with a sleepy kiss on the cheek and a cuddle, Daichi took extra care to turn the night light on, but face it away from the sleeping little ones. Keeping the door ajar a hands width, he made his way back to the living room, phone in hand and intent of searching out a new centre. He just had to keep going and get on with it.