Spring was all about rebirth, beginning anew. Like blooming flowers and growing days, change came to children as well. Though, changes pertaining to a certain 9-year-old may be too much of a change.
"Shuuzou," Akashi called from the door, just returning from a playdate at the park. "We're home."
After hearing his name, Nijimura greeted his spouse and child at the door, just missing the latter. "Welcome back," he said, watching little legs run upstairs. He turned back to Akashi. "What's that about? Not even a 'hi, Daddy?'"
Nijimura's comment was meant as a joke, but the look on Akashi's face told him something was up.
Akashi's face was mostly calm, but his eyes were slightly widened and urgent. "Our child has my eye," he said flat out.
Nijimura gave a puzzled look. "Yeah, she has your red eyes," he brushed off. That wasn't anything new.
"Shuuzou, no," Akashi calmly opposed. "My eye."
Explaining more on his words, Akashi closed his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, his left iris was gold. What he meant finally clicked with Nijimura, the older man's jaw dropping and eyes widening. Akashi took the chance to switch back to his other self.
"Well, I suppose it's more your—" Akashi started saying, but Nijimura already dashed off to Aimi. It took Akashi a second to realize the other bolted.
Nijimura sprinted to his child, outside the door to Aimi's room in a second. He swore he hadn't run that fast since his competitive basketball days. He was about to knock and enter, but a sudden thought struck him.
Akashi's other self was… intense. What was Aimi's… new self going to be like? Was it even another self? Nijimura sort of jumped to conclusions and rushed to his daughter without asking Akashi more on the subject.
"Oh god…" Nijimura breathed, anxiously running his fingers through his hair.
"Just go in," Akashi said, appearing out of nowhere as if he was Kuroko. He made Nijimura jump, but didn't give the reaction a second thought. "That's still your daughter in there."
"Yeah, but," Nijimura grabbed Akashi's wrist when the other was about to knock, "how much of your 'eye' does Aimi have?"
Akashi narrowed his eyes, giving Nijimura an irked look. He pulled his arm back, knocking on the door nonchalantly.
"Come in," the muffled voice of their child called. The two parents entered.
When Akashi and Nijimura came in, Aimi was just finished changing into a new set of clothes. Before, she had her usual dress. Now she had on slack shorts, a polo shirt and a vest.
"Hey, Dad, Papa."
Nijimura was thrown off by what Aimi called him, glancing at Akashi for a moment. When he looked back to Aimi, he casually asked while taking a seat on the bed, "How was the park?"
"Fine," Aimi answered as she tossed her old clothes in her laundry hamper. "Some annoying creep of a jerk was messing with me and Kazuki-kun though, so I socked him." She finally turned to Nijimura, and that's when he saw it.
Aimi's left iris had changed just like Akashi's before. However, instead of gold, it was gray.
"Why do you ask?" Aimi asked Nijimura, snapping him back from his shock when jumping onto the spot beside him.
"I-I just wanted to know if you had fun—" Nijimura cut himself off, Aimi's words sinking in. "Hold on. You punched someone?"
Aimi groaned, falling back against the bed. "Papa already scolded me earlier. But he was making fun of me wearing a dress and hurt Kazuki-kun! So I think it's okay!"
"No matter what reason, we still do not punch people," Akashi scolded again, arms crossed. Even though he approved of sticking up for oneself and friends, he was still a parent who had to say no to violence.
Nijimura turned back to Akashi. He was even more confused by his daughter's sharp way of speaking and… that 'I.'
Akashi could only offer a shrug. He then turned to Aimi. "Could you step outside for a moment? Dad and Papa need to discuss something."
Aimi gave an offended look, but complied. "It's my room though…" she mumbled on the way out.
Akashi and Nijimura watched Aimi leave, the latter asking the second she walked out the door, "What happened to my sweet little Sunshine?"
Akashi sighed, sitting where Aimi sat before. "Were there signs?" he asked instead of answering Nijimura's question. "For me, I at least had an understanding there were two of me. I'm positive she did not. This isn't hereditary."
"You said something triggered your switch; what triggered Aimi then?"
Akashi had to pause at the question. Was there a trigger? No, there had to be a trigger. "At the park," Akashi began, "I don't exactly know what happened when the kids were fighting, but from what Kuroko and I heard from Kazuki-kun, the other boy pushed him over and made him get a nasty cut. He said Aimi snapped at the other boy for that and even had to hold her back." He turned to face Nijimura again. "It could've been that."
"Had to be that," Nijimura responded, wishing he went to the park with everyone now. The pair shared a sigh.
"Well, nothing we can do about it," Akashi said. "There being two of her, it isn't a terrible thing…"
Nijimura noticed Akashi grew more vulnerable as he spoke, watching him drop his gaze to his lap. Nijimura smiled softly, putting his arm around Akashi's shoulders and pressing a chaste kiss to his temple. "No, it's not. There's just something new to love."
Akashi's own soft smile grew as he leaned into Nijimura's warm embrace. He wanted to stay longer in Nijimura's embrace, but they still had a child they needed to talk to. "Alright," Akashi started, standing while taking Nijimura's hand, "come on. There's something I want to ask."
The two parents headed to where they suspected their child to be. They heard the elegant string of notes and instantly knew where to go.
Akashi and Nijimura entered their sitting room with the grand piano. When they neared their child, the music stopped.
Akashi kneeled down to Aimi's height with a serious look in his eye. "If I may ask… Who are you?"
The child's eyes widened for a moment before turning down, just like Akashi had done before. After a moment, the two of them shared eye contact again. "I am Akashi Nobuyuki… if that's okay…?"
Akashi smiled, pulling his child into a tight hug. "Of course, Nobuyuki. No need to be hesitant."
Nijimura kneeled down to Akashi and Nobuyuki's height as well, ruffling the same soft, black hair like he always did. "So, Nobuyuki, huh?" he asked with a bright smile as Akashi and Nobuyuki acknowledge his presence. "And you're our son? He, him, his?"
Though it was different than before, Nobuyuki smiled. "Yeah. But," he held his head, "'Aimi…' is still here? Like there's…"
"Two of you?" Akashi suggested his answer for Nobuyuki. "Like Papa?"
Nobuyuki's eyes widened, but his expression soon changed to another wide smile. "Like Papa."
"Don't forget Dad now," Nijimura butt in. "Look at this shiner," he said, cupping his son's face and rubbing his thumb under his eye. Nijimura gave a proud smile. "Like Dad, too."
"And temper like Dad, too," Akashi nonchalantly joked. "Seriously, punching another boy."
"Oi, sounds like he was asking for it in my opinion," Nijimura defended Nobuyuki, pulling his son into his lap. "Right, Sun… Moonbeam?"
Nobuyuki, who was huffy about his papa's comment on his temper, chuckled. "Really, Dad?"
Nijimura lovingly flicked Nobuyuki's forehead, something he felt he might be doing more often. "I'm defending you here."
Akashi and Nobuyuki laughed, Nijimura joining soon after. Yes, something new to love.
warning now: long author's notes
if i made it kinda confusing or anything, Aimi is genderfluid (there's a reference in the first story). the events at the park also reference a short animation i made featuring the kids. i know for a fact dissociative identity disorder is not hereditary, i just really like how it was done with Akashi and branched off from there.
bc of confidence reasons, i'm probably not gonna post anything with the Nobuyuki personality here. i will be posting it on tumblr though. if anyone is curious about Nobuyuki, let me know in the comments bc then i might consider posting those outside tumblr or yeah jump on my tumblr. thanks!