Molting

by mew-tsubaki

There's a new Tanaka—kinda—in the world, and the Tanaka siblings are determined to make things go right for this one. *An AU oneshot set in my Birds of a Feather AU, but may be read on its own; set after "Opportunity" in the BoaF collection.

Molting

A Haikyuu! oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The Haikyuu! characters belong to Furudate Haruichi-sensei, not to me. And, now, a month with the Tanaka siblings in the Birds of a Feather AU. BUT! This fic stands on its own so you don't have to read the fics in the BoaF collection to enjoy this. Just have a gander if you love Saeko, Tanaka, Akisae/Saekiteru, or Ennotana! :D Read, review, and enjoy! *Note: Though you don't have to read the BoaF fics to enjoy this, things will be clearer if you do; this is set after the 6th story, "Opportunity" (links at bottom of my FFN profile).

- ^-^3

"Ryuu, honest, I'm good for today." Saeko chuckled gently into her phone, her hands still on the door handle to the nursery after closing the room behind her. She let go and leaned against the door. "And it's a Monday. Don't you have plans with Chikara?"

The other end of the line was quiet for a beat. "Not really…," her brother eventually drawled, but Saeko rolled her eyes. It was too easy to picture him looking to the left, the way he'd avoided her eyes as a kid when she'd discovered he'd eaten the last ice-cream without telling their parents to get more.

So she straightened up and walked to her bedroom right next to the nursery and closed the door. "Ryuu. I don't have time or energy to convince you that you don't need to come over today. I just put Chieko in her bassinet for a nap, and I need to sleep while she does. So you'll just have to take my word for it."

After another second, he grunted a "Fine" into his phone. "But I'll continue to call, you know. Tomorrow, Wednesday, and so on."

She chuckled again. "I know. And that I don't mind, since you never come over unannounced. And I appreciate your help the past week—I daresay Akiteru and I needed it. But…I'm good. So I'll touch base later, 'kay? Say 'hi' to Chikara for me."

"Of course," he replied, and he was the first to hang up.

Saeko sighed and tossed her cellphone on the mattress. She loved Ryuunosuke a lot, but she had come to find her baby brother was quite the worrywart now that she'd had her first kid. It wasn't to say that her husband wasn't—and she'd found that part of Akiteru to be endearing from the start—but it really was surprising to discover that her brother's care ran that deeply.

She tugged her hair free of the messy but very necessary ponytail now that her hair was past her shoulders, and she lay back carefully on the bed, kicking her slippers off in the process. She lifted one foot into her line of sight. It looked fine, though it felt swollen.

Honestly, she was just glad to be home already. More than a week had passed since she'd given birth to her daughter and been released from the hospital, and this morning had been her checkup with Dr. Imayoshi. Akiteru, like Ryuunosuke and Kei, seemed skeptical about continuing with the bespectacled guy as her doctor since he'd been off by about a month regarding her due date, but the doctor had explained that better at today's appointment. He'd said all the tests and her hormone levels had suggested a July due date, so, without knowing exactly when the couple had gotten pregnant last fall since they hadn't really been trying, it wasn't unexpected to be a "little off." Akiteru had some choice words to say about Dr. Imayoshi's being a "little off" on the ride home, but Saeko understood and reminded her husband it was the one thing the doctor had gotten wrong, so he'd dropped the subject.

The point was that she was home and healthy, and Chieko was home and healthy, and Akiteru would be home at the usual time despite going into work late to make sure his wife and daughter had all they needed. So Saeko nodded off, knowing she had maybe an hour at best before she needed to be back on her feet….

- ^-^3

Tanaka pulled a face as he stared at his phone before tossing it on the couch and heading to his kitchen. Well, it wasn't as though he'd been counting on making a trip to his sister's house today, so his plans hadn't been ruined. In fact, he didn't have any plans. With him working nights and Akiteru-san working days, Tanaka had been the perfect choice to keep an eye on Saeko and Chieko the first week. And with him sort of being "on call" to go over and cook, clean, or do laundry—the usual things Saeko wouldn't be able to do right away—he had left things up in the air this weekend with Ennoshita.

He pouted at that as he looked around in the fridge and in his cupboards, trying to come up with an idea for lunch. Ennoshita kept insisting otherwise, but Tanaka felt as though he'd put Ennoshita on the back burner without really meaning to do so. Sure, it'd only really been for a week, and it wasn't a good idea to focus solely on each other all the time—that kind of thing was suffocating and could breed a sense of mistrust, he knew—but still… Trying to be a responsible uncle shouldn't have to come in the way of his relationship.

…at least he was the type of person to act instead of loll around, dwelling on his annoyances.

He took another look through his pantry and went into the living room, dialing Ennoshita as soon as he picked his phone up off the couch and dropped his butt onto the cushions. Ennoshita picked up on the fifth ring.

"Too busy for me?" Tanaka teased, not fighting the smile creeping onto his face.

Ennoshita sighed. "'Hello' to you, too. And that's not my fault. I had my phone crammed into my jeans pocket and got it out just as Kinoshita tried fishing it out." There was a fit of giggles in the background that nearly drowned out the end part of Ennoshita's sentence.

Tanaka quirked an eyebrow. "Uh, Kinoshita was reaching into your pocket…?"

The embarrassment was evident in the breathiness of Ennoshita's voice. "He was, but as a joke."

"Well, do you want to escape the joke, Ennoshita?"

"Oh. I'm actually out right now with both him and Narita. Kinoshita's off, and we're burning off one of Narita's vacation days."

Hearing that relieved the bartender some. "Then invite them, too."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure Narita, like me, would appreciate the extra line of defense if Kinoshita gets handsy again."

Ennoshita laughed. "Kinoshita knows not to get handsy with—"

There was a beep, and Ennoshita's phone was put on speaker. "Nope, I was definitely getting handsy. Our Ennoshita's too cute. We've agreed to let you have him part-time, Tanaka, but he was ours first and foremost."

"You're taking this possessive thing to the extreme, Hisashi," Narita scolded, and he cleared his throat.

"Is he drunk?" Tanaka asked, surprised, considering the time of day.

"Unfortunately, no," Narita answered.

"So…lunch?" the bartender offered.

"Yes, please," Ennoshita and Narita said in unison. They even sighed in unison, when Kinoshita started snickering again. So Tanaka took that as the sign to hang up.

Frankly, he'd thought meeting Ennoshita's parents last month would've been scarier than dealing with Ennoshita's best friends, but sometimes they liked to remind Tanaka about what Ennoshita meant to them. Plus, they were local. And Tanaka got the sense that Kinoshita's good humor could take a nasty turn if Tanaka ever ended up on his bad side.

The bartender trudged back into his kitchen and threw together something that could be called a salad and a few different sandwiches for the four of them to choose from…though, since Tanaka had the opportunity, he nabbed the one he wanted the most. The trio of childhood friends could have a free-for-all when they arrived.

Some fifteen minutes after making their loose plans, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita arrived at Tanaka's apartment, with Kinoshita wearing a mischievous grin and draping a comfy arm on Ennoshita's right shoulder.

Tanaka raised an eyebrow at that as they came inside, tugging Ennoshita to him and finding some resistance from the blond. "Uh," he coughed, giving Kinoshita a pointed look.

"Go right ahead and chew him out. You've known us long enough and have my permission," Narita stated nonchalantly as he passed by and went to appreciate the spread Tanaka had laid out on the coffee table in the living room.

"Kazu, that's not necessary," Kinoshita whined while Ennoshita extricated himself. The blond threw his arms up in the air after, waving them dramatically as the other three began eating. "You guys are terrible sometimes. I'm just an affectionate person!"

"No, we aren't, and yes, you are," Ennoshita said without even looking at him, instead hunting down every last cucumber slice in the salad and piling them on his plate.

Tanaka took a bite of his sandwich, glancing between the three friends. Narita and Ennoshita seemed to think the solution was to ignore Kinoshita, but Kinoshita was rather fidgety—perhaps about as fidgety as he and Narita had been the past few months. Tanaka chewed slowly until he stopped. "Kinoshita…did you do something?"

Ennoshita and Narita looked up at Tanaka's words. Then they exchanged a glance, and it was as if a lightbulb flickered on between the two of them. "Kinoshita," the brunet prompted.

Kinoshita averted his eyes and brought his arms down, hiding his clasped hands behind his back. "I…talked to Auntie recently."

Narita was especially confused. "My mother? But she—"

The blond shook his head, and Ennoshita blanched and gaped at him.

"My mother?!" It wasn't a shriek, but Ennoshita's voice was so shrill, Tanaka did a double-take. He'd never heard his boyfriend at that decibel.

"Yeah…" At last, Kinoshita joined them, and he got through half his sandwich before he continued, mouth full, "Ai-shan wanted Tanaka'sh info. She bullied me fo' it."

A silent second passed, and then Ennoshita stunningly laughed. "Oh… Is that all?"

But Tanaka fought a shiver. "How can you say that?! I mean, yeah, we got along well when you and I visited your parents, but not so buddy-buddy that we exchanged numbers!"

Ennoshita fed him a cucumber slice, his brown eyes showing no trace of worry as he assured him, "It's a good sign. Dad told me she loved you from the start, and this just proves as much to me. My mom is…an acquired taste, but she's actually one of the most caring people I know. It's just easier for Dad to show his care than it is for her."

"Ai-san's actually quite the worrywart," Narita added, and he paused for signaled permission before he got drinks for him and Kinoshita out of Tanaka's fridge. "When Hisashi and I first moved out, she did research that even Hisashi's mother didn't do, about things like transportation and quality supermarkets—she even thought we ought to live near a twenty-four–seven convenience store."

"All my mom did was make sure I knew how to cook and clean and do laundry without blowing up the washing machine," Kinoshita chimed in, and he huffed as his best friend and his lover both laughed at the last part.

Ennoshita turned to Tanaka then, still smiling. "You look relieved. You haven't even heard about the Kinoshita Versus Detergent Powder Fiasco yet."

He'd hit the nail on the head, and Tanaka shook his head, feeling better. "Nah, just… Hearing that she's the worrywart? If I can handle Worrywart Ennoshita, then I can handle Worrywart Ennoshita-san."

The businessman turned red. "Hey! I'm not that bad."

The others guffawed at that.

But Tanaka really was relieved by Narita's words, and he felt relieved, too, somewhat, by watching these three interact. They'd hung out a few times before but never the four of them alone at Tanaka's loft, so the change of venue from the bar downstairs was nice. But, more than that, the friendly atmosphere felt familial, and it put the bartender in mind of his relationship with Nishinoya…but it also reminded Tanaka some of the household in which he and Saeko had grown up.

Back in Miyagi, the Tanakas had lived in a nice enough house that was very different from the city lives daughter and son now lived. It had been just the four of them, Tanaka, Saeko, and their parents, under a shingled roof and behind sliding doors, located within walking distance of the daycare, the elementary school, the middle school, and the high school Tanaka and Saeko had attended. Sakanoshita Shop was on Tanaka and Nishinoya's walk home from Karasuno, and the motorcycle shop where Saeko had worked part-time before leaving to start the bar was a seven-minute ride on her bike from their house.

Their parents had been equally responsible for their discipline, and there had never been a quiet night in the Tanaka household—but that wasn't a bad thing. Whether yelling to scold or to encourage, Tanaka knew his older sister shared his sentiment in that they never felt a lack of love or caring. They had no aunts or uncles and so no cousins, and their grandparents had passed when Saeko was little, but somehow their parents had made their family seem like the perfect size. Then… Then their father died the May after Tanaka graduated from Karasuno, so four had become three. Then their mother had encouraged Saeko to start The Roost, and Tanaka had joined his sister not long after, and the siblings were watched over from afar. And, sure, something was gained when Saeko and Tsukishima's older brother turned more serious, and Akiteru-san's parents were lovely people—

—but a part of Tanaka had felt that he and Saeko, in a way, were on their own when three became two when their mother passed away over two years ago.

He blinked at that and halfheartedly smiled at something Narita directed at him, but Tanaka had to take a moment for himself, so he escaped under the guise of putting his dishes in the sink. With his back to the living room, he thought about the anniversary. With that grave visit back in January with Ennoshita, that marked the second anniversary of her death. So…over two years. Over two years of absolutely no guidance in the world. And now the siblings had a new Tanaka—well, half-Tanaka—to look out for.

It'd been a week, and they'd done well so far.

"Hey."

Tanaka jolted at the softness of Ennoshita's voice, which pierced his thoughts. He glanced at the brunet to his left and grinned. "Can't bear to be without me for a second, huh? I don't blame you. I'm irresistible."

Ennoshita sighed exasperatedly at that and took a step closer, gently bumping his shoulder against Tanaka's. "Not that you're wrong, but I came over for a different reason." His lips straightened to a flat line. "You all right? You went really quiet back there," he said, jerking his head towards the living room.

"Ah, yeah. No, I'm fine."

Those sweet, brown eyes burned a hole in him.

Tanaka leaned closer to touch their foreheads together. "Seriously, Ennoshita. My mind wandered, and I felt a bit…mawkish."

"Anything I can do?"

Tanaka's face fell, but only in surprise. This—This was one of the things he loved about Ennoshita. Ennoshita was no stranger, of course, to poking fun at him as other did, but Ennoshita was an expert at being compassionate right when Tanaka needed that. The notion was enough to wave the blue fog away from Tanaka's heart, and he nearly laughed aloud as he pushed Ennoshita back towards their gathering. "I'm good, I'm good…. Now, what's this about Kinoshita being a Laundry Lord of Disaster?"

As Narita deftly launched into the story, Tanaka's mind wandered only once more, for just a second:

Tanaka and Saeko weren't done growing up, no matter how well cared for Chieko ended up being…yet there was nothing wrong with that, nothing wrong with seeking guidance from outside sources like the Tsukishimas or the Karasuno crowd or those precious to them.

His eyes flicked to Ennoshita, who looked back with his adorable and sleepy "Who, me?" expression.

Yeah, Tanaka figured, Saeko was right. She, he, they—they'd be good.

- ^-^3

The following Tuesday evening, Saeko was ready to strangle Ryuunosuke.

"I have everything I need," she said through gritted teeth, her phone clutched in her hand. If she held it any harder, she wondered if the damned thing would break.

"Including her hat? And what about Hinagarasu? Her eyes follow its red hair wherever—I think it's her favorite," her brother reminded her. At least his tone of voice had changed now in Chieko's third week, and he didn't sound as panicky as he had in those first few days. No, now he sounded like a know-it-all.

"Ryuu. I know. We're just going up to the end of the street and back—not even rounding the block!" Saeko pinched the phone between her ear and shoulder, double-checking the supplies in the basket underneath Chieko's carriage and that she had her keys and wallet in her pants pocket.

"So that's, what, ten minutes, round trip?"

She could hear the sound of keys and footsteps on his end, and she narrowed her eyes, switching from mother to business woman in under half a second. "Ryuu. It's five–forty-five. My bar opens in fifteen minutes. How about you focus on that and continuing Tora's training and I handle my first outing with my daughter? Deal? Deal."

Judging by the smacking noise, he wisely shut his open mouth. "…all right, Sis."

Saeko breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. Finally!

"Akiteru-san should be home soon, anyway. I'll just look out for his text that you got home."

Her temper flared—but then Chieko caught her eye and made a gurgling, entertained sound, and Saeko deflated. "Yeah, yeah," she told Ryuunosuke before hanging up. With her phone in her pocket, she had a free hand to reach in and tickle her baby's chin. She smiled when Chieko yawned. "You angel. You just saved your uncle's behind."

The Tsukishima women headed out then, locking up the front door of the tiny, two-level, cream-colored house. Saeko thought she managed just fine, wheeling Chieko's carriage out the front door and reaching the end of the driveway. Beyond that was freedom: the road on which they lived.

Saeko chuckled at herself, enjoying the fresh air in her nostrils. With it being early in July, the days ran on forever, with the sun setting after Akiteru came home from work. But! It meant that now was the perfect time of day for a stroll outside, with the sun on its way down, taking the heat with it. Chieko was shaded safely with the carriage's bonnet pulled up, and Saeko didn't need to fear heatstroke herself, either.

Gods. Her legs thanks her with each slap of foot on pavement, her sandals clapping the asphalt, a pleasant reminder that she was outside and not holed up in the house. Saeko probably could've gone out before now—and Akiteru had suggested it two days ago—but she hadn't had the energy for it, not just yet.

The light of the setting sun was a rich orange, like the hair on the felt plushie Ryuunosuke and Yuu had made of Shouyou. And Ryuunosuke was right; Chieko loved the crow plushie versions of her family and friends, but the Hinagarasu seemed to entrance the kid. Even now, her eyes sauntered between her mother's face and the shock of fiery felt on the plushie resting beside her.

Saeko smiled to herself as she pushed Chieko along, and she tried to remember back to when Ryuunosuke was a baby… She'd been six at the time, and she'd stayed with a neighbor, Nomura-san, who'd often looked after her in her parents' absence and had gone on in her old age to look after both siblings as their mother needed. Meanwhile, her parents had made what had felt like a rather brief visit to the hospital and come home with large, whiny Ryuunosuke. From the first moment he'd taken a breath, Ryuunosuke had never shut up, Saeko realized with a snicker. According to their mother, Saeko was the same.

But not Chieko, the blonde mused as they reached the end of the street and took a wide U-turn where their road bisected the main drag that wove into town towards the train station. No, Chieko didn't even cry when Saeko or Tanaka laughed loudly around her. Accepting the volume made her a Tanaka. Watching her surroundings with quiet interest made her a Tsukishima.

Speaking of watched surroundings… Saeko's grip on the carriage handle tightened, the skin on the back of her neck prickling with the sensation of being scrutinized. Since high school, Saeko had learned to dismiss the stares at her bleach-blonde hair, but that trained ignorance wouldn't work with this feeling Saeko had felt once before, several months ago. Setting her jaw rigidly, Saeko forced her gaze up from Chieko and looked across the street.

Two vaguely familiar, tired-looking sets of eyes awaited her, and Saeko recognized those eyes and wrinkled faces immediately as belonging to those old crones who'd whispered behind their hands when Saeko had been out on another walk, before Chieko's arrival. It hadn't taken any effort for Saeko to determine they'd formed assumptions and ill opinions about her, but that didn't mean Saeko had been any less annoyed. So what that she'd resembled a pregnant yankee back in April? Saeko dressed the way she liked. Back in spring, it'd been leather jacket weather. Now Saeko wore a flowing tank top because it was warm. In either case, her face was the same. So what would the old bags do this time?

Saeko blinked. Hell. It'd been automatic, going on the defensive and preparing for a similar interaction as last time. She focused on relaxing her facial muscles, wishing her scowl away, otherwise she'd be no better than those two women, jumping the gun without exchanging a single word. What was that saying? "It takes a whole village"? Of course Akiteru's family was now hers and their Karasuno family filled out the rest of their "village," but…but it would make things easier on the new family if they had people on whom they could rely and who only lived doors down from them.

The blonde smiled, using Akiteru holding Chieko as her inspiration, and safely crossed over. "Good evening," she said.

The older, white-haired woman's face was expressionless for a second. Then Chieko gurgled, and she and her friend broke into soft, grandmotherly smiles. "Good evening," she said to Saeko. "We've seen you before. You're new to the neighborhood, yes?"

"I'm Tsukishima Saeko, and this is my daughter, Chieko," the blonde replied, choosing not to mention how she and Akiteru had moved here last fall. "We live in the small house towards the other end of the street."

"Iizaka," the white-haired woman said, gesturing to herself. "Kakiuchi," she added, and her friend with a bulldog's nose and a steel-hued bob bowed her head kindly. "We live here and here," Iizaka-san finished, pointing to the two houses behind Saeko.

"Chieko-chan has very inquisitive eyes," Kakiuchi-san complimented.

Saeko blushed a tad, since the kindness felt so alien. "I think she gets that from my husband, too. She's quiet like Akiteru sometimes."

Iizaka-san's body language shifted, came across as more inviting. "Quiet, eh? Well, quiet or not, there is no such thing as an easy baby."

Saeko flinched when meeting Iizaka-san's dark eyes.

"Let us know if you need any help," Kakiuchi-san elaborated with an exasperated glance at her friend.

Ah. No disrespect intended. Judging by Kakiuchi-san's reaction, Iizaka-san only had issues expressing herself properly, and Iizaka-san's nod of agreement with her friend's words put Saeko enough at ease. So she let bygones be bygones, much preferring to make more friends than new enemies.

The older women had finished cooing over Chieko and returned home when Saeko, less than a stone's throw from the house, heard the pleasant rhythm of Akiteru's wide stride catching up with her.

"And how are my favorite girls?" the salesman said with a quick wave to their baby girl. He pecked the top of Saeko's head and hugged her side, brushing her plait over her shoulder as he ducked down to plant another kiss on her, this time on her cheek.

Saeko laughed him off. "We're fine and happier now that we've been outside."

Akiteru's smile told her he was happy to hear that. "It's after six, though," he pointed out, scooting ahead to open the door so they could go inside. "Did something good happen?" he asked as she passed by him and he loosened his tie.

"I think so. And I'll tell you only if you don't text Ryuu with a dumb update on my whereabouts," she retorted, and Chieko gurgled and he laughed in response.

- ^-^3

"Ryuu…no one ordered broiled fish."

Tanaka's head snapped up at the sound of Nishinoya's voice, and he quickly plated what he'd cooked before turning to comment. "No, but Sis is here for a bit, so—"

Nishinoya shook his head and clicked his tongue at his friend. "I'm gone for one minute to pee, and you take over my kitchen."

The shaven-haired man relaxed and grinned. He really shouldn't have expected otherwise from the former libero, especially when in the backroom at The Roost. After all, Nishinoya truly only fussed over the things that concerned himself. "I'm outta your hair," Tanaka promised, passing by the cook to return to the floor.

Saeko rolled her eyes as he put the plate down in front of her. "Oh, for crying out loud… Ryuu, when did you become Mom?!"

"Hey! I'm just making sure you're well fed," he retorted, taking a check from Yamaguchi as the freckled guy and Tsukishima cashed out early for once.

"I'm only by for a quick visit," Saeko stated. "Akiteru's making a nice dinner, and Chieko's in her bassinet downstairs in the living room, within view. So Aki told me to get out from under foot while he's in chef mode."

"A shame you can't bring her 'round," Kinoshita said from beside her as he nursed his drink.

"Yeah, no. Babies and bars don't go together," Saeko confirmed. She slid her unimpressed look to her brother. "And you're gonna get me in trouble for ruining my dinner," she scolded.

"He just likes feeding everyone," Kinoshita agreed, and he hummed mischievously when Tanaka shot him a yakuza glare.

"It's not that," the bartender attempted.

But even Tsukishima snorted, and Yamaguchi had difficulty restraining his smile. "You do seem to insist," the freckled crow remarked.

Tanaka scoffed and flagged Yamamoto down once the waiter had his arms full of dirty dishes. "Tora. Do I make everyone eat or order food?"

Yamamoto shrugged. "Isn't asking someone if they want food just service?" And he vanished into the backroom.

Worse still, Tsukishima deigned to chime in. "You never let me order just a drink here," he stated while Yamaguchi put away his change, "even if you have to make the food yourself."

Tanaka gawked as the four of them stared at him with eyes that said "Poor fool doesn't even see his own maternal instinct kicking in." At least Yamaguchi had the decency to laugh as he and Tsukishima walked away and passed a newly arrived Ennoshita while the others snickered right in front of him.

Ennoshita snagged his usual seat on the other side of Kinoshita, at the first seat at the bar counter, and eyed the spectacle. "What'd I miss?"

That only made Saeko and Kinoshita laugh harder, and Tanaka grumbled as he took Kinoshita's nearly empty glass from him. "Apparently it's a crime to look after everyone's stomachs," he quipped, ears deaf to Kinoshita's yowling for another drink and swearing that he'd behave.

"I don't mind. It feels like a little love note when you leave leftovers in my fridge," Ennoshita said, and that cozy smile of his comforted his boyfriend. "I'd be happy if you fed me for the rest of my life."

Of course. Ennoshita had to say one thing too much, and the pleasant warmth in Tanaka's middle spread to his face, ears, and back of his head. It was worse when Ennoshita understood a second later how his words might be misconstrued with Saeko and Kinoshita going "ooh~" off to the side, and he turned cherry red, too.

"Thanks for the show," Saeko declared with a bright grin, and she got up and left.

"Please, continue," Kinoshita told them with a Tsukishima-like snort.

"Go home, Kinoshita," the couple said in unison.

Kinoshita poo-pooed the idea but left anyway, asserting he'd give his computer tech boyfriend a detailed summary when he came home.

Tanaka sighed, debated commenting on Ennoshita's bold proclamation, and switched the subject back instead. "I can't help wanting to make sure Sis has whatever food or drink she needs. Especially since she's turning me down in the mornings more often. The past two weeks, I've been over every other day. This week, I've only been over twice, and it's Friday."

Ennoshita watched him wash Kinoshita's glass before speaking. "Well… Saeko-san's a very independent person. I get the sense that, though she doesn't mind occasionally being taken care of, too much coddling feels like babying to her." He waited for Tanaka to catch his eye over his shoulder, and he pointed at the shaven-haired man. "Aren't you the same way?

Damn. Ennoshita was good. Tanaka tried to pass off answering with a joke. "You're getting to be the Tanaka Ryuunosuke expert—why don't you tell me?"

Ennoshita rolled his eyes, so the bartender returned his attention to the sink. "Hardly. As if you'd ever let me have an opportunity to baby you."

Tanaka couldn't help it. He laughed at that, too.

Ennoshita stayed awhile at The Roost, even ordering dinner before the kitchen closed for the night. He drank just the one Oddball Quick, and otherwise kept Tanaka company as business ebbed and flowed and ebbed. Nishinoya went home around ten-thirty, with Yamamoto following suit an hour later, but Tanaka was used to finishing out the remaining, drinks-only hours of business. What he wasn't used to was Ennoshita staying so late.

"You're about to miss the last train home," the bartender reminded the businessman once only two other customers occupied seats in the bar.

The brunet twisted his lips around but didn't frown; he leaned on crossed arms on the counter instead. "I'll take a taxi," he replied, but he made no move to go out and hail one.

Tanaka exhaled and slapped the rag he'd been wiping things down with over his left shoulder. "What?" he prompted.

Another pause before he spoke. "Are you really this antsy, being an uncle?" They locked eyes, but Ennoshita didn't shy away. He'd do that with others, and he'd done it more when he and Tanaka were getting to know each other, but time and intimacy had made him bolder around Tanaka.

"…no. Maybe." Tanaka winced. "I dunno."

Ennoshita patted his arm, his fingers lingering on Tanaka's bare forearm in his drowsiness. Regardless, he was alert enough to continue their conversation. "Your composure's been crap since Chieko-chan was born."

"Gee, thanks for the honesty, babe."

"You're doing fine, though. You're a responsible uncle."

"Am I?"

At that, the brunet furrowed his brow and frowned. "You don't think so?"

They paused things as one of the other two clients paid and left. Since the remaining one, a woman wearing gaudy jewelry, was more interested in her phone than in the bartender and his boyfriend, Tanaka tried explaining his reasoning to Ennoshita. "Aren't parents and aunts and uncles supposed to be role models?"

"I guess…"

"Then Sis and I don't have luck on our side. Our dad was a yankee for a year in his youth. Mom worked from the time she was in high school. Sis didn't finish university, and I—like our parents—didn't even go. Frankly, I… I hope Chieko turns out better than us." He finished with a sour taste in his mouth. He wasn't sure he wanted to see the hurt look on his sister's face if she heard him talking like this.

"That's…a grandiose wish. And a stupid one."

Tanaka grimaced and pulled his arm away. "That's a little mean, don't you think? What?" he asked, exasperated at the victorious smile blooming on the businessman's face.

"It's not mean at all. If Chieko-chan turns out to be anything like her mom and uncle, she'll be great. And you shouldn't worry about her not having certain opportunities. The kid's barely a month old, Tanaka. You and Saeko-san and Akiteru-san and Tsukishima and the in-laws have plenty of time to plan." He stood then, patting that arm that had been taken away. "Besides, isn't it obvious? Chieko-chan could be sent to the nation's top university if she got in and some Karasuno alumni fund pooled their resources just for her." He beamed, happy with that option, the planner he was. Then he held his hand out. "Keys."

Tanaka stared at him. "But…it's a work night." He should know; they had the same days—Mondays and Sundays—off.

"I know." Ennoshita flexed his fingers.

"You don't have a fresh suit stashed at my place, Ennoshita," he added, forking over his apartment key in the end.

Ennoshita shrugged and patted Tanaka's cheek. He was halfway up the stairs when he called down, "Actually, there is the one," and he tiredly, drunkenly chuckled as his boyfriend spluttered in disbelief.

- ^-^3

A somewhat similar exchange occurred in the new Tsukishima house several nights later. No, not about sleepovers and clothes left at others' homes—about Chieko's potential future.

Akiteru, having successfully burped his daughter, returned her to the portable bassinet set up on one end of the kitchen table. Him walking around with her in his arms or cradled against his chest was a favorite sight of Saeko's, and she was sad to see it go as Akiteru now faced his wife and dismissed her misgivings about herself and her brother. "You don't give you and Ryuunosuke enough credit," he scolded. "You started up a successful business, which Ryuunosuke is basically running. I'd be over the Moon if Chieko inherits your entrepreneurial skills."

"But—"

"If you're that worried, we can start saving early. The earlier you start, the smaller the amount you can put away at regular intervals." His smile was brighter than his golden eyes. "We've got this." Then he turned his head to the right of the bassinet. "Right, Kei?"

The younger Tsukishima jolted and looked between the two of them, coughing to cover his movements, but Saeko and Akiteru knew better. Kei was always giving Chieko attention when he thought no one else was looking, and tonight was no different. "I think," he began, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "we were supposed to be celebrating her being one month old. Not that a baby can appreciate that, but." He punctuated his statement with that disinterested shrug of his.

The couple laughed at that. Kei said such a thing, but he'd come over anyway, putting dinner with Tadashi off for a little later that night. "Very true, but it means cake for everyone," Saeko announced, slicing the small, four-serving cake Akiteru had picked up on his way home. It was chocolate, but there were strawberries, so there was something that appealed to all three adults.

"You know what?" Akiteru started between bites, resting his chin on the back of his hand. "Maybe…maybe it's time for a change."

Saeko and Kei settled him with equally unamused gazes. "All it's been for the past year is the 'time for a change,'" Saeko groused, her fork hanging rudely out of her mouth as she gestured for emphasis on the phrase. She tugged on her naked earlobes. "Look at me! I haven't even worn my earrings, in case one falls out near Chieko or if she wants to grab hold."

"But that won't be forever. You'll get used to some of the changes, and others, if you dislike them, can always change back."

Saeko dwelled on that…and she kind of felt better. Change was good, but there was nothing wrong with going back, either. If it wasn't broke, don't fix it, right?

What a great idea.

- ^-^3

"Okay, seriously, when did Akiteru-san snap that? For us both to be asleep…" Tanaka sighed and held the phone over his shoulder for his sister to take back. Then he changed his mind. "No, wait, hold on. Lemme send it to myself."

"Go right ahead—I'm almost done here," Saeko said, the razor buzzing quietly in her hand as she tidied up the back of his neck that Saturday morning while Akiteru was out and Chieko napped.

Tanaka's eyes lingered a second longer on the photo of him and Saeko tuckered out on the couch in her living room, their heads propping each other up and their mouths hanging open with silent snores and Chieko stretched out peacefully in a lavender onesie across her uncle's chest, one hand tucked under her torso and the other reached out, resting on her mother's head. Ahh, it really was so cute! So Tanaka hit "SEND."

"Done," Saeko announced, rubbing his newly trimmed peach fuzz of a buzz cut contently. "As handsome as ever, Baby Brother."

He grinned as he stood up from the chair at the island in the kitchen and helped her sweep up. "Well, you have a really good base to work with."

She matched his grin and took her phone, scrolling through something. She held the screen up for him to see. "I do, and everyone knows it. And Kei was the one who snapped the shot, not Aki."

She was telling the truth. Tsukishima had texted it to her Thursday evening, after he and Tanaka had left that afternoon, according to the timestamp. "Goddamn it… Tsukishima's not allowed to be over when I'm over."

"Uh, good thing he was. He put Chieko to bed properly before she rolled off you."

All right. He had to give the guy some credit. "I guess Tsukishima's capable of showing more than just Yamaguchi his sweet side…"

"Yup."

Saeko swept the last bits up, and she took his seat when he tossed the trash. He quirked an eyebrow. "Did you need a trim, too?"

But the blonde shook her head. "Nope." She arranged the cape around her shoulders and reached for the scissors, holding them out to him. "I'm ready to be Responsible Mama Saeko."

His eyes narrowed, and he gaped at her, befuddled. "Hah?"

"I can go without piercings and the studded leather belts and jackets—for now."

"Hah?!"

"But," she continued, gathering her ponytail in her free hand, "that doesn't mean I have to stop being Saeko altogether." Her eyes locked with his.

Ah. He got it. He knew, as he took the scissors and the handful of hair, what she meant. Of course they weren't done growing up; growing up was a choice, to an extent, and it was perfectly fine to take the occasional step back as needed. "Chin length?" he asked.

He sensed more than saw her grin. "You know it. Ah, and emphasize the slant from back to front."

"You got it, Responsible Yankee Mama." And they laughed together at that.

- ^-^3

-w- This fic, in many ways, makes me extremely happy. The romance wasn't center-stage; instead, we got to see more of how the siblings interact and how they've matured, too. I can deffo see them thinking a bit more about their actions (and, in Saeko's case, before she acts, as we saw with the old women) when they're older, esp under the influence of their loved ones. There's always room for growth! That said, I thought it important for these two to realize they didn't need to abandon their personalities to be the responsible adults in Chieko's life that they wish to be.

On that note, I'd like to thank my parents, mama & papa mew, for guidance in writing about Chieko's early life, because it was difficult for me to know everything they should be doing right away, and what Saeko could do and when with Chieko (like waiting a bit before going outside for walks and stuff). I know I'm lucky to have them as my parents and that they know about my fic-writing and are supportive of it. Ahhh, family feels. -w-

Some other things: If you're curious about why Kinonari/Narikino is in a good mood, then I suggest weathering their story, "The Long Distance Not Between Us" ;). Also, I felt it important for Saeko to clear the air with her neighbors; and now she's got extra support! :D In addition, Akiteru and Ennoshita being supportive of their S/Os is just. GAH. Wonderful. Please. There's even some foreshadowing for future Ennotanas here. XDDD Tsukki also is a brilliant dork of an uncle; he totally dotes on Chieko. ;] This story also was meant to be about half exposition, too, with the Tanaka siblings reflecting on their old lives. While I'm sad to have done what I've done to their parents, I think they have good families still, with the Tsukishimas and the rest of the crows. Lastly, the song for this fic was "Circles (Vanic Remix)" by Machineheart; I dunno, I just thought it fit Saeko's and Tanaka's swirling thoughts.

Thank you very much for reading, and please review/comment/leave an ask! The next fic in the BoaF collection, "Personal Day," will take a while since it has its own fair share of side stories, but I hope you can enjoy the other side stories while you wait, and please visit the BoaF tumblr page (on my tumblr, le-amewzing) for lotsa stuff~! Show your support for this AU, and share your excitement for it, too!

-mew-tsubaki :D