A simple playdate at a park was how the morning started. Kuroko's son and Akashi's daughter wanted to go out to play with each other and neither fathers minded the idea.
"You're happier than usual, Aimi," Kazuki noticed, looking up at his friend a branch above him. The 6 and 7-year-olds were enjoying their view from up a tree they climbed.
Aimi cocked her head to the side. "Hmm?" She didn't seem to realize her more cheerful smile or how her legs swung sweetly.
"Come on," Kazuki whined, climbing onto the branch his best friend was on. "You can tell me.
"Oh, it's nothing," Aimi brushed off despite the tone of her voice giving off a romantic feel. "I was just thinking about something my papa told me a while ago."
"What?" drawled Kazuki.
Aimi giggled, turning her body to face Kazuki more. "Are you sure you wanna know?"
Kazuki vigorously nodded his head.
"It was about how my daddy and papa met," Aimi answered, squealing with a blush soon after.
Kazuki's face dropped. "That's it?" He was grossed out with the thought of love.
"What do you mean 'that's it'?" Aimi huffed, offended. "It was the most romantic story ever! My daddy and papa were captain and vice-captain in middle school; that's how they met. At first, they were just friends, but then Daddy and Papa slowly started falling in love. 'Unrequited love,' Papa said it was called because they didn't do anything about it.
"When Daddy had to move to America, they were heartbroken and still didn't say anything to each other! So when Daddy did move, it was like all was lost! But they started talking to each other again on the computer. They fell more in love because they were apart. 'Love makes the heart grow fonder,' Papa said. Papa also said Daddy was the first one to 'snap' and confess, and since Papa also loved Daddy, they were officially together!
"They loved each other from across the world, only getting to see each other with their computers until Daddy came back! Isn't that so romantic? I want a love story just like Papa and Daddy's!"
Kazuki still looked somewhat disgusted while Aimi was still squealing in her own world, hands over her blushing cheeks as she squirmed in her seat.
"Papa said it could happen to me, too!" Aimi called cheerfully, turning back to Kazuki with the brightest look in her eyes. "What about you, Kazuki-kun? Wouldn't you want a romantic story like how your dads fell in love?"
Kazuki thought hard on Aimi's question. His dads never really told him how they got together, but his Aunt Momoi did tell him about his dads when they were younger.
"Dads started out as really good friends, best friends, in middle school, too. Big Dad thought little Dad was a ghost." Kazuki laughed. "But he liked how hard little Dad played basketball, and they became unstoppable partners!
"But then something happened. Big Dad got really sad and didn't like basketball anymore and wouldn't play with little Dad… And little Dad got really sad since big Dad was sad… They stopped being friends for a while…"
Kazuki mood slowly dropped as he explained his dads' story.
Aimi placed a supportive hand over Kazuki's, feel bad as well.
Kazuki turned to his friend with eyes wide, on edge. "I don't want a story like my dads'! They stopped being friends!"
"But they're together now," Aimi said hopefully.
"But still!" Kazuki responded. "Oh my gosh!"
Kazuki turned away to focus on his thoughts again. His dads' story was way different than Aimi's dad and papa's.
"Kazu, get down from there."
Kazuki looked down, seeing Aomine calling up to him.
"It's dangerous to climb that high."
"Dad!"
Without thinking, Kazuki jumped off the branch he was sitting on for Aomine.
Aomine panicked for a fraction of a second before scrambling to catch his son. He had nearly fallen back from the impact.
Witnessing the risky jump, Kuroko ran over to his husband and son. "Kazuki! That was very dangerous–"
"Dads, I'm not going to meet whoever I love like you guys did, am I?" Kazuki cut Kuroko off, panicked.
Both Kuroko and Aomine made a look. "What?" the latter asked.
"I don't want to hate whoever I like before actually liking them!" Kazuki cried.
The matching looks Kuroko and Aomine shared changed, the two of them now gaping.
"Where would you get that idea?" Kuroko asked.
"Aimi was telling me about how her dads met and how she wanted a story like theirs, and Aunt Momoi told me yours before, and I don't want that!"
"Satsuki…" Aomine grumbled under his breath. Momoi was gonna get it later.
"Aimi," a stern voice called.
Kazuki and his dads turned a moment, seeing Akashi and Nijimura helping Aimi down. It was Akashi who had the scorning voice.
"What?" Aimi pouted, now in Akashi's arms. "I just told Kazuki-kun how you and Daddy met…"
Akashi sighed as Nijimura gave a sheepish smile.
Kuroko turned back to his son. "Kazuki, no one is going to meet the one they love the same way as another. You're going to meet the one you love in an entirely different way than me and Dad."
"Yeah, Squirt," Aomine agreed. "Besides, I can guarantee you you're not going to make the same mistakes I did with your dad; you're growing to be a way better kid than I was." He gave a bright smile.
Kazuki looked down for a moment, taking in everything his dads told him. He looked back up hesitantly afterwards. "Really?"
"Really," Kuroko answered, smiling as well. "Besides, Dad and I are together now, aren't we? That's all that matters."
Kazuki's giant smile returned, no longer worried.
"Does that mean I won't meet the one I love like how you and Daddy did then?" Aimi asked Akashi. All four adults went rigid.
"It's possible, Sunshine," Nijimura reassured his daughter.
"Wait, so it's still possible for me to be like Dads then?" Kazuki asked, growing uneasy again.
"Well," Aomine started.
"Dads!"
"Daddy, Papa!"
Kazuki and Aimi whined to their parents simultaneously. One problem fixed, another started.
Story 5 of KnB Kiddies collection. NijiAka story is a bit more headcanon while AoKuro story is pretty much canon.
