"Holy shit!"

Hiroki's heart hammered as he glanced left and right, his chest heaving in panic.

"Why is he-"

"KAMIJOU! GO!"

"Sweet mother of fuck, Miyagi!" Hiroki screamed, stomping on the gas pedal. The car roared forward, and Hiroki gritted his teeth. Miyagi, who sat beside him in the passenger seat, gripped his seat as he was thrashed up against the window.

"Pull over! Pull over!" he barked. Hiroki sharply turned to the right, pulling into a parking lot. He slammed on the brakes, and there was a thud as one of the passengers of the back seat hit the back of the driver's seat and fell to the floor. Miyagi looked over his shoulder. "Congratulations, Kamijou, you killed Eiji."

Hiroki panted, slumping against his seat.

"Fuck you, Miyagi," he said. Miyagi reached into the backseat and retrieved a baby doll.

"If this had been an actual baby, you would've killed it with your shitty driving," he scolded. Hiroki rolled his eyes and turned in his seat. He looked at Alrik, who was sitting in the middle of the backseat between two baby seats.

"Was my driving really that bad?" Hiroki asked skeptically.

"Umm…" Alrik trailed off. Then he shrugged sheepishly. "…Ja."

Hiroki groaned and tipped his head back against the seat.

"It was so much easier in Japan!" he exclaimed.

"Well, your inability to drive is probably a psychological thing. I mean, you're in a new country, in an area you don't know. Of course you'll be a little nervous," Miyagi explained gently.

"I'm not nervous," Hiroki huffed. Miyagi pursed his lips, reached over, and twisted the key in the ignition. The engine whined in protest, and Hiroki slapped Miyagi's hands away in terror.

"Quit it!" he shrieked. Miyagi crossed his arms.

"Nervous," he said with finality. Hiroki groaned and slapped his hands over his eyes.

"Shut up," Hiroki hissed.

"No worries, Kamijou. You will do fine with a little more practice, ja? My wife and I had a hard time with driving when we began, too." Alrik commented encouragingly from the back, patting Hiroki's shoulder.

"Tack, Alrik. Thanks, Alrik," Hiroki sighed.

"We should probably head back. The sun'll set soon," Miyagi said. "We'll practice again some other time."

"Thank the lord," Hiroki breathed in relief. He got out of the car so he and Miyagi could switch seats. Miyagi calmly drove them home, and even Hiroki sighed in relief to have a good driver behind the wheel. When they pulled up to Hiroki's house, Shinobu came out onto the front porch with two babies in the crooks of his arms.

"Kamijou!" Shinobu exclaimed, smiling widely as Hiroki got out of the car. Hiroki grinned back at him, outstretching his arms for his precious daughter.

"Was Fuyumi good?" he asked when he had her in his hold.

"Yes. Her smile is just as adorable as you said! I can't wait for Eiji-chan to start smiling!"

"I told you to stop calling him that," Miyagi commented from the car as he got out. Shinobu scowled at him.

"I can give my baby whatever nickname I want, old man. Stop being such a sourpuss," Shinobu hissed. He turned towards Hiroki. "He wanted to call Eiji-chan 'Little Miyagi'."

Hiroki squinted at Miyagi.

"What the fuck? Isn't that what you call your penis?"

Shinobu's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as Miyagi slapped his forehead.

"You wanted to name Eiji-chan after your dick?" Shinobu barked. Miyagi tried and failed to sputter an excuse.

"Hey, if it wasn't for 'Little Miyagi', then this 'Little Miyagi' wouldn't even exist!" Miyagi said loudly, gesturing to his son. The window of Shinobu's minivan cracked open, and Alrik stuck out his head.

"Was normal to talk about penises in Japan? Then my penis is very nice, ja? My wife-"

"No, Alrik, we didn't usually talk about penises in Japan," Hiroki said exasperatedly as Shinobu and Miyagi bickered.

"You're such a brat," Miyagi finally sighed. Hiroki blinked as Shinobu immediately stopped his yelling and flushed scarlet. He pinched his lips together.

"Let's just go home," Shinobu muttered. He turned towards Hiroki. "Bye, Kamijou."

Hiroki tilted his head as Shinobu stomped towards the car, leaving a bewildered Miyagi on the front porch.


Hiroki looked up from his book as his doorbell went off. Confused, Hiroki turned towards the grandfather clock in the living room, where the time read 10:06 in the evening. Who could possibly be visiting this late?

Grunting, Hiroki got to his feet. He went to the kitchen, where he grabbed his heavy duty flashlight just as a precaution. He crept down his entrance hall to his door. Gripping the door handle, he took a deep breath before twisting it and slowly opening the door.

"Miyagi?" Hiroki asked incredulously. Miyagi stood before him on the front porch, his arms crossed in the cold. "What the hell are you doing here? I mean… it is Valentine's night, right?"

"Shinobu and I got into a big fight. Bigger than usual, anyway," Miyagi said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head and averting his eyes. He grinned sheepishly. "Can I crash here for tonight?"

Hiroki frowned, ready to reject his request, but he saw the strain in Miyagi's eyes, and the worry in his body language. Hesitantly, Hiroki stepped aside and gestured for Miyagi to enter.

"Sure. Come in," he said slowly.

"Thanks," Miyagi sighed in relief. He stepped inside and shuffled out of his shoes. Hiroki shut the door behind him.

"Come on into the kitchen. I'll make you some tea," Hiroki said, leading Miyagi down the hall and into the kitchen. He turned the lights on 'low'. Miyagi took a seat at the island counter as Hiroki gathered the materials to make tea. There was a long, tense silence.

"Hey… thanks, Kamijou," Miyagi said quietly. Hiroki sighed and turned to him, his hands on his hips.

"Whatever. More importantly, what on earth did you say to Shinobu?" Hiroki demanded.

"That's just it! It's about what I didn't say, apparently," Miyagi said, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"What didn't you say, then?"

Miyagi shook his head and shrugged.

"I have absolutely no idea!"

Hiroki thought for a moment before turning away to fill the tea kettle.

"Has he been hinting things to you recently?"

He heard Miyagi heave a huge sigh behind him.

"I guess… he's been getting super offended when I call him a brat recently. I tried backing off, but he just started sulking and things got worse. When I gave him every ounce of my attention again, he would just get pissed!" Miyagi explained. "I really don't understand him sometimes. He sends me so many mixed signals. When I think about it, not many things have changed between me and him since we started dating. Our relationship is just so… stagnant. I want to move forward. I don't want Eiji-chan… I mean Little Mi-… no. I mean Eiji-chan. I don't want him to grow up with his parents fighting. That's just a recipe for disaster."

Hiroki furrowed his eyebrows and turned around.

"I don't think your relationship is stagnant," Hiroki said. Miyagi glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Then what is it?"

"I'll admit it, and Shinobu understands this too: you two are just so far apart in age that sometimes it's almost like you two are on two different planes. But… you've come so much farther with him than you realize. Do you remember when he tested you with the twins?"

Miyagi's face darkened.

"How could I forget? Those few hours were the worst of my life."

"When me, Shinobu, and Nowaki were heading back to the apartment, he told me that he knew you were waiting at the apartment for him. He told me that he knew because he had already known everything about you, and that the past year you two had been dating, he had learned everything he could learn without being with you: your heart."

Miyagi snorted.

"Sounds like a corny romance novel," he muttered.

"Your relationship has advanced much farther than you think. For fuck's sake, you have a baby, and you both love each other so much that you don't care about the age difference. If that isn't advancement, then I don't know what it is. The only reason you haven't advanced further is because it's time to take another step."

"I'm afraid!" Miyagi blurted. He caught himself and clenched his jaw, putting his head in his hand. "I don't want to scare him away. I already feel like I'm walking on thin ice."

"How so?"

Miyagi slowly looked up, his eyes darkened.

"Obviously I've done something to royally piss him off. After the… you know… he's been so short-tempered with me. I wonder if he blames me for the… st-stillbirth. It's made our relationship so unstable… as bad as this sounds, sometimes I feel bad for impregnating him in the first place. He's gone through so much because of me. I mean, of course I love Eiji! I just… I wish Yuji was here…" Miyagi whispered. His face contorted as he gritted his teeth. "If he was, I wouldn't be afraid. I could've given Shinobu this."

Miyagi dug something out of his pocket and set it on the table. Hiroki's eyes widened: it was a little black box. Miyagi opened it, revealing a diamond engagement ring.

"I wanted to give it to him after he gave birth, but… obviously… that happened, and it didn't feel like the right time anymore. I've looked for any opportunities to propose with dinners, gifts, and even after I make love to him, but somehow it always fails, because I always do something that makes Shinobu mad before I can do it."

Hiroki stared at his former superior for a moment before huffing and rolling his eyes.

"You really are stupid. You should have given that to him a lot sooner," Hiroki said. "Do you understand how much pain he's feeling? Just… think for a moment. Think of how hurt you were, and probably still are, about the loss of Yuji. Now, multiply that by ten. Shinobu carried Yuji and his brother for nine months, Miyagi. You had about a second to bond with Yuji. Shinobu fell in love with him the second he became pregnant.

"Shinobu is good at hiding his feelings. Think about all of his body language, what he says, what he does. Just think. He may be good at hiding his feelings, but he slips up all the time. It's your job to notice that kind of thing. What he needs is for you to reassure him that you will always, always be there for him, no matter what happens."

Miyagi stared down at the engagement ring, realization beginning to dawn on his face.

"Oh my God," he whispered. "He's been waiting this whole time… he's… he's…. what a stupid fucking brat!"

Hiroki watched as Miyagi covered his eyes with his hand and tipped his head back.

"Why didn't he just tell me? I would've asked him right there!"

Hiroki smiled gently.

"Because he thought it'd make him look like a brat," he said simply. Miyagi went rigid, then slowly let his hand fall away from his eyes. He lowered his head to stare at Hiroki, pure, guilty agony on his face.

"I'm a terrible lover," he rasped.

"No you're not. You will be, however, if you don't get your ass back over to that house and propose to him right now," Hiroki said. Miyagi paused before shooting to his feet, his barstool scraping across the tile floor.

"Sorry, Kamijou. We can have tea some other time," he said, a determined expression on his face. Hiroki grinned.

"Whatever. Go on, get out of here. Make that brat's night," Hiroki said. Miyagi nodded firmly before dashing out of the room. A moment later, the front door opened and slammed shut. Hiroki sighed in relief and poured the water out of the tea kettle he had filled. Humming in content, he meandered back into the living room and flopped down into his chair before the crackling fireplace.

Just as he was about to pick up his book again, his doorbell went off again. Hiroki growled and shot to his feet with a flourish.

"Miyagi!" he snarled, storming into the entrance hall and to the front door. He threw it open, and sure enough, Miyagi was standing there. Hiroki crossed his arms. "What now?"

"I proposed, but he shouted something about me being a sorry excuse for an old man! He grabbed the ring and slammed the door in my face!" Miyagi exclaimed. "He locked it, too!"

"Get your stupid ass in here," Hiroki growled, grabbing Miyagi's elbow and dragging him inside so he could kick his door shut. "Did you propose in the fucking doorway?"

"Yeah, I thought he wanted me to do it ASAP!"

Hiroki stomped into the kitchen with Miyagi in tow, then threw him down onto a barstool.

"That's just as unromantic as Nowaki!"

Miyagi sputtered.

"I thought it was romantic enough!" Miyagi protested. Hiroki rolled his eyes and slapped his hands over his face.

"Please tell me you at least got down on one knee."

Miyagi hesitated.

"I was supposed to?"

"Oh my God, Miyagi!"

"There was snow in front of the door! I didn't want to-"

They were interrupted as the front door slammed open and closed again. Hiroki barely had time to register the sound of pounding footsteps before Shinobu was bursting into the room. He was in his flannel pajamas with nothing but a snow-covered pair of slippers and an unzipped grey hoodie to keep him warm. Miyagi shot up from his barstool.

"Shinobu! Don't tell me you walked through the snow in your slippers! It's too co-"

Miyagi was abruptly cut off as Shinobu barreled into him. Miyagi reeled back, crashing into the barstools behind him and falling against the counter. Hiroki looked on in surprise as Shinobu made out with Miyagi almost viciously. Miyagi let out little protesting grunts, but before long his eyes rolled back and fluttered shut.

"…Hey…" Hiroki trailed off, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance as Miyagi's hands trailed up Shinobu's back, lifting his shirt. He grimaced, not able to turn away fast enough to shield his eyes from their lips disconnecting to reveal Miyagi sucking fervently on Shinobu's tongue.

"Nnn…" Shinobu moaned when he pulled away with a huge smack. "Yes, Miyagi! Of course I'll marry you!"

Miyagi lolled his head dazedly as Shinobu peppered kisses all over his new fiancé's face. He whimpered and ground his hips into Miyagi's.

"Oooh, Miyagi, I'm going to ride you all night long."

"Y-Yeah… marriage… ride…" Miyagi echoed stupidly. Hiroki scowled.

"Alright, alright. Get the fuck out. I don't want any part of this," Hiroki demanded firmly. He went to Shinobu and yanked him off of Miyagi by the hood of his zip-up sweatshirt.

"Mmm," Shinobu hummed lustfully, biting his lip at Miyagi and reaching out towards him in vain. Miyagi, meanwhile, shakily peeled himself off of the countertop.

"You two are the horniest little brats I've ever seen," Hiroki said dryly.

"Sorry, Kamijou," Miyagi croaked, pulling the hem of his shirt down to try and cover his rather obvious erection. "We're going straight home. Right now."

Miyagi's eyelids lowered towards Shinobu with unabashed desire. Shinobu bounded up to him and launched himself into his arms. Miyagi responded enthusiastically, throwing Shinobu over his shoulder like a caveman who had found a mate. Shinobu wriggled in protest, and Miyagi obediently shifted Shinobu so he was being carried bridal-style. Shinobu hummed in approval and wrapped his arms around Miyagi's neck, clinging to him. As Miyagi walked towards the archway to the entrance hall, Shinobu smiled widely at Hiroki and pointed at the new engagement ring on his ring finger. Hiroki grinned back at him and gave him a subtle thumbs-up.

"Let's fuck right in the doorway," Shinobu suddenly whispered just before Miyagi turned into the entrance hall. Miyagi let out a groan and stumbled slightly. Hiroki scowled.

"Not in my doorway you're not. I don't care if you fuck in the snow or on your roof- either way you ain't doin' it in here!" Hiroki barked. He herded Shinobu and Miyagi out, trying not to hear the erotic things Shinobu was whispering into his fiancé's ear, and the sound of him sucking on Miyagi's ear. Miyagi, meanwhile, was whimpering as he struggled to stagger towards the door. Hiroki threw the door open and shoved them out of his house. He slammed the door shut behind them, leaning against it to keep it closed. When he was sure they were gone, he sighed in relief.

"Fuckin' brats."