A white puff of hot air left his lips. A wave of nervousness filled him as he walked with the two children hold hands down his hometown street. A gentle smile crept onto his lips as he watched the two children playing in the snow, the cheerful laughter filling his ears.
Calling for the two of them, they stopped, with bright smiles on their faces, ran towards him.
"Are we finally going to see them now?"
"Of course, They are going to be ecstatic seeing you both."
The two grinned and looked back at one another. Walking to the house, Kageyama stared at the building solemnly. Heading towards the door, he pressed on the doorbell, hearing the gentle chimes from the other side. A kind and soft voice spoke out.
"Shigeo? Oh, son, it's nice to have you joining us for Christmas. Your father and I were worried you wouldn't come."
She stopped talking when she noticed the two children.
"Oh, my, who are these two sweet children?"
"I wanted to take Keigo along with me to take care of him. Tenko, on the other hand, is my son. I adopted him a few months ago."
She stared at her son in shock before looking at the children, then back to him. A smile appeared on her face.
"Look at them, their noses and ears are red! Come inside. You must be cold from being outside for so long."
Keigo and Tenko, with enthusiastic smiles, rushing inside into the house. The mother looked at her older son, smiling with few tears in her eyes. Shigeo walked over to her, wiping the tears off her face. Holding him close in an embrace, she spoke in a kindhearted tone while patting his head.
"Thank you for this. We're so happy that we have grandchildren, finally. You know your father and me. Are going to spoil those two."
A gentle chuckle arose from him as he nodded in agreement, walking inside the house, taking off his coat and shoes.
"I'm well aware of that mother."
"Good, Just deciding to give you a warning. Don't want complaints from you later on."
"I'm more than sure I'll find a way to complain somehow."
"Of course you will. You've spent too much time with Reigen. He's corrupted you."
"Mother, has that ever bothered you before?"
"Of course not. I'm just teasing you son, I know he is a good man."
"But didn't you almost tried breaking one of his arms when he came the last time?"
"Oh? When was the last time he came, dear?"
"He hasn't been here in over seven years, mother..."
"I can't remember that at all...Why did I even do that again?"
Looking at the older female with an exaggerated expression, he laughed, shaking his head. "Alright, mother. I'll be sure to tell him." He said as he walked to the living room, where the two children and his father were. He gave his greetings to him, sitting down as he sighed.
"So, how long has it been since you adopted Tenko, son?"
"Just around three months now. Took a lot more longer getting the papers filled out though, like always."
"Well, it is a serious choice to do, especially since you're still in college."
"Come on, boys. Help me make some cookies I was making." The children followed her, leaving the two men alone, hearing the small clattering of objects being moved around in the background.
The older man looked at his son and sighed. "Son, I know you wanted to help the boy. But are you sure this is what you want? It's a lot of responsibility, taking care of a child this young." His eyes glanced at the young man then back to the cup of hot tea in his hands.
"Father, I made this decision. It was unexpected, it is true, but I have yet to repent for any of this."
"Alright, I won't meddle in your decision of this anymore, but, thank you at least. I didn't expect to have grandchildren this soon, yet it's nice. We can have more time with both of them and create great memories."
"It is. Isn't it? You don't have to pressure Ritsu to find a girlfriend now. He wants to focus badly on becoming a lawyer. He can focus on romance later on. He's still young, after all."
"You say it as the age gap between you two is greater."
He chuckled as he stood up, walking to the kitchen. Keigo had icing smearing on his face, seeming to be flustered as he spoke to the older woman.
"Mam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spill the icing..."
"Don't worry. You can address me causally if you want to. After all, you're part of our family."
"R-Really? I mean, I've only known Tenko, Shigeo-Kun, and Ritsu-Kun for a year."
"What do you mean? It's almost close to two years once summer arrives. I've always seen you like a little brother, so you are part of the family."
The blonde looked at them both with an expression of surprise, moving his head down as he looked towards the floor. His shoulder and wings, trembling, with the sounds of sniffling and whimpers, to be the only sounds. A heartwarming smile appeared on Shigeo, kneeling as he embraced him into his arms.
Another sound of sniffles erupted from the other younger male, moving closer to the two, participating in the hug.
The long hours of the night went on as they ate the small feast prepared. Ritsu joined them later on in watching old classic movies. By the time it was past midnight, the two children were tucked in a guest room sleeping soundlessly. The rest of the adults were still awake. Drinking tea and chatting idly, enjoying the sliver of time after being apart far too long for the closed-nit family.