the much acclaimed, much gooey fluffy feels, much loved parent AU!

rated G for gosh-diddly-darn adorable
ft the smol-est sunshine child ever

10. not said to me

By the time Keiji reaches home, it's already past dinner time. He called ahead to let them know that he'd be late, but he still felt guilty stepping through the door.

"I'm home," he calls, taking off his shoes. He hears two pairs of footsteps pounding on the wooden floors towards him, and braces himself for impact.

"Keiji! Welcome home!" Koutarou skids around the corner, grin as bright as it always is. Keiji grins back.

"Daddy!" A tiny force knocks into Keiji's knees, and he has to grab the wall to avoid falling over backwards. He looks down to find a small face bearing a smile sunny enough to rival his papa's.

"I'm home, Shouyou, Koutarou."

Koutarou leans down to grab their son by the middle, hoisting the squealing toddler over his shoulder easily, his muscles still there even after years after leaving the court. "There's curry on the stove, want me to reheat it?"

"I can do it."

"Okay. We'll be in the living room. We're going to finish colouring Bambi today, aren't we, kiddo?"

"Bambi! Bambi!" Shouyou screams, stretching his arms above his head, though he's still facing down from the way Koutarou is holding him.

Keiji shakes his head as they disappear into the living room. He'll never get used to the loudness and liveliness that is his household, despite how many years it's been since he met Koutarou. And since they adopted Shouyou two years ago, it seems like their two bedroom apartment has suddenly brightened a considerable amount, so much so that Keiji is half-amazed none of their neighbours have filed a complaint about the noise and general dazzle that has become his family.

But Keiji isn't complaining. Not now, when he can still hear the two of them singing the theme song to some cartoon show even as he changed into comfier clothes in the bedroom, when he gets to come home from a hectic day in the outside world to his favourite boys in the entire universe.

He moves back out to the kitchen, turning on the stove as he listens to the soft giggling sounds of Koutarou and Shouyou messing about on the coffee table in the next room. It's amazing, he thinks, how he can go from being so bone-tired when he leaves work, to so relaxed and comfortable just by being in the presence of those two.

This must be what home is, he thinks to himself. He smiles.

Fixing himself a plate of curry and rice, he settles down on the couch behind Koutarou and Shouyou, quietly watching them. Shouyou is waving his crayons in the air, babbling about what he learned today in kindergarten and what "that meanie Yamayama-kun" said during play time. Koutarou gives him his full attention, quietly echoing his son's enthusiastic "gwaaaah"s and "puwaah"s.

"Papa! Papa, you're colouring it wrong!"

"Oh, am I, little dude, am I?"

"The sun's not purple!" laughs Shouyou, tiny hands grabbing at Koutarou's bigger ones.

"How do you know, you've never looked directly at the sun before."

Shouyou gapes at Koutarou, shocked at his logic. Keiji snorts, meeting Koutarou's glance with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't go teaching bad ideas, Kou."

Koutarou winks at Keiji, before turning back to Shouyou, who still hasn't moved. "Hey, hey, kiddo. I'm kidding. Don't go looking at the sun, you'll go blind like a shrimp, okay!" He reaches out to tickle the child for good measure.

"I don't wanna turn into a shrimp!" squeals Shouyou, giggling madly at the hands of his father.

Koutarou grins, reaching out and ruffling the kid's wild orange hair. "Even if you do, you'll always be our shrimpy-chan, okay? I love you, kiddo." He laughs as Shouyou crawls into his lap, wrapping small arms around his broad, broad shoulders. He hugs his child back, patting his messy curls softly.

Keiji watches them, a small smile on his face. It's just a normal Thursday evening, he's eating an ordinary homemade curry meal, his family in front of him, and yet he's never felt more happy. This right here, watching Koutarou play and laugh with their child, in their own home, knowing that they made it this far and will continue to make it further, together, Keiji can feel his heart swelling at the thought of it all.

If this is what love is, he wouldn't trade it for the world.