Lev stood toward the nook, smiling and laughing as a regular regaled him with an anecdote. He heard the little bell above the door ring upon being opened and excused himself from the conversation.

"Welcome to the Happy T-" He said as he turned his head to the entrance.

Lev's eyes widened meeting the face of the man he yearned for, his heart raced. Then his eyes shifted to the two little children holding onto Yaku-san. Yaku-san is not in a teacher's apron but regular clothes. His smile fades, his face burned to hold back tears. Tears that were going to be of joy were threatening to be tears of sadness. With watery eyes, he swallowed and tried his greeting again, he placed his signature bright smile on his face.

"Welcome to the Happy Tiger Cafe, and wel-welcome back, Ya-Yaku-san."

Lev bowed, taking the moment to silently scold himself for fumbling over his words. He did that when his nerves were battling too many emotions. He had hoped he would have at least grown out of that. Alas it seems, when it comes to Yaku, he is still a clumsy kid in the body of a full-grown man.

Morisuke stared at Lev-the boy he fell in love with was now a man-for what seemed like forever. Everything around him fell into silence so much so that only his heartbeat pierced. When he thought he was going to drool, he pulled himself out of his shock and cleared his throat as the kids continued to bounce on the balls of their feet. Thank all the gods for children and their ability to distract anyone from any emotions present. "Okay, kids, what do you say when people greet you?" He turned his head to the children to hide any emotions–both positive and negative–that may be showing on his face. Gods! Kenma and Kuroo forgot to tell me about this place! Or wait... did they tell me and I forgot? Most likely, they told him. And this idiot teacher forgot and had the audacity to waltz into this fragrant and wonderful place like the asshole that he was.

Both kids grinned brightly and said, "Good afternoon, Mister! You look so handsome today. I hope you're having a great day!" Their voices echoed inside the shop and brightened it even more. Their giggles made other customers look in their direction with smiles on their faces.

Morisuke gathered all his courage so he could look up at Lev, hold his gaze, and walk the children closer to him. Wow, Morisuke. You actually managed to walk straight AND meet his eyes even after seeing the man who has not given you a second of peace in the past ten years? Bravo to you, you actor. "Hello, Lev. It's been a while, hasn't it?" I'm sorry for not reaching out. I'm so sorry. Oh, gods, you look so fucking good. I'm so sorry for sauntering back into your life after running away.

How the fuck is it possible for anyone to grow from lanky to muscular? Damn, Morisuke did not even grow an inch! How is it possible for this giant of a man to look so cute and so fucking adorable despite his size and the muscles that rippled under his shirt? Lev was more than just adorable now. He was deadly for Morisuke. With his heartbeat going at 100mph, Morisuke won't be surprised if he keeled over and died on the spot. The continuous churning at the core of his being was both strange and familiar. Strange because it pushed him to a corner where all the feelings he had accumulated for the younger man came forward to slap him. Familiar because he knew... he accepted that Lev was the one for him. Decisions be damned. Destiny had slapped the teacher is the fact that Haiba Lev was the one for him. The question is... will Destiny be so nice to bring them together? Or will they be just another case of star-crossed lovers who were not meant to be together?

Kou tugged at Morisuke's hand gently and said, "Papa, I want hot choco with marshmallows. And... and... and donuts too, please." His eyes were wide as he stared up at his sensei. Hmmm... It seems that sensei and this cafe mister know each other. A friend from before? Maybe. But why does sensei look so happy? Like he was–what do you call that bright yellow thing in the sky? Ah–the sun. But sensei also looked like he needed to go to the bathroom. Does he need to go pee-pee?

Mori also did the same and smiled as cutely as possible, wanting to take back sensei's attention from the mister at the counter. Who was this guy and how dare he try to steal Yaku-sensei's attention from them? Sure, he's handsome and all but he's not as cute as her and Kou-chan, is he? "Papa, I want hot choco with sprinkles and mallows, please. And... and that one," she pointed at the food with swirly bread and milk glaze on top displayed just in front of the cafe mister.

The teacher couldn't help but chuckle at how fast the kids had picked up the instructions he had given them just a few minutes before. It was a bit jarring to hear the children call him "Papa" though. He'd be lying if he said that it didn't make him realize that there are things he won't be having in the future because of his sexual orientation. "Okay, okay. Let's ask the nice mister to give us what we want, shall we? Let's start with the older baby. Who is older?"

Kou gave a cute pout and an eye roll but he sighed. "Mori-chan is older than me so she goes first." This has been their system since the start. Depending on Yaku-sensei's mood, the youngest or the oldest could go first. It seems that this time, the older one goes first. Kou is only a few months younger than Mori-chan though. And he's bigger now.

Morisuke had to smile and plant a kiss on Kou's forehead gently. "Thank you for being so patient, Kou-chan," he said before picking up Mori so she can be level with the counter. For some reason, he wanted to sort of show Lev how responsible he was as a teacher. It's not like he was asking for validation or anything but he wanted to show off. Aside from that, he also loved his students a lot. They were his children during the time they were with him and he shall be a good parent to them. "Mori-chan, tell Mr. Lev what you want now then."

Mori nodded. This was nothing new. If anything, this has been their training too. So, at a young age, they already knew how to respectfully give their orders when they eat out. Even if it meant that she has to look at the attention thief. "Mr. Lev, I want hot chocolate with sprinkles and mallows, please. And... and..." she leaned back to Morisuke and whispered loudly. "Papa, I don't know what that bread is called."

The teacher chuckled at the girl's version of a whisper. It was basically talking breathlessly with the sound of that of a normal speech. He also whispered back, just loud enough for Lev to hear it too. "It's called a cinnamon bun, honey."

"And I want a cimanon bun honey. Thank you!" With that, Mori gave a grin before wiggling herself out of Yaku's hold. Mr. Lev really is handsome. No wonder Yaku-sensei's attention was stolen from them. But that still is not a good enough excuse. Hmph. As if Yaku-sensei will make Mr. Lev his bride. Maybe Yaku-sensei could be the bride. Mr. Lev is so tall and muscle-y. He won't look good in a wedding dress.

Lev's eyes started to pinch to prevent tears from escaping. One did escape, he wiped it away quickly. With a gentle smile and to his surprise a smooth voice replied, "That is a lovely choice. And for you?" He looked at the little boy.

Papa, of course, papa, he isn't in a teacher's apron. They, they are his children. He is a father and...and someone's husband.

Morisuke patted Mori-chan's head gently. "Good job, Mori-chan. You did really well." He then turned to pick up Kou and give him a slight squeeze. "You can order now, Kou-chan."

"I want hot choco with marshmallows, please." The boy respectfully ordered. "And a donut too. Strawberry-flavored. Thank you so much, Mister Lev." His eyes brightened at the other mister before he hugged Yaku-sensei tightly.

"A delicious choice. You are very welcome."

With that done, Morisuke put the child down and gave a deep and long sigh as he gently punched on his aching lower back. Damn, it's difficult growing old without any action in the past few years. "There you go. Sorry, they're pretty loud." He brushed his fingers through his hair and licked his dry lips before clearing his throat. This is awkward. He should have worn something better. Something more stylish.

"Ah, haha li-like Yaku-san then." He tried to joke through the thumping pain in his chest. "W-would Papa like something as well?"

Papa? Yaku blinked owlishly at the tall man, mouth agape, and brows a bit furrowed. Huh? Where did that– oh... the kids. He stared at Lev, noticing how his eyes seemed to be reddening at the sides. He wanted to ask–no... he wanted more than that. He wanted to reach forward and cup that handsome face. He wanted to kiss those worries away, but he couldn't. Not after what he had done. Not after running away. Not after letting fear overcome him. "Uhm... I'll... I'll have black coffee and whatever is your favorite pastry. Surprise your senpai." He grinned at Lev and gave a slight bow.

Why does he look like he was about to cry? And calling Morisuke 'papa'? Why is that? There were a million questions in Morisuke's mind but he had no right to ask them all. None at all.

"Anyways, it's nice to see you again, Lev. We won't take any more of your time. We'll be seated now. Thank you so much." He took the kids' hands, talked to them for a few seconds, and guided them towards the nearest booth for two reasons: 1) so the server would see them immediately; and, 2) so he could look at Lev once in a while.

Okay. So he could watch Lev the whole time.