A/N: Hey there! Welcome to chapter 2 of my little AU :) This story brings me so much comfort already. Thanks for reading this and enjoying it with me!

We get to meet some family in this one. I am so excited. When I found out that Bokuto and Kuroo had older sisters I IMMEDIATELY knew what I had to do. I don't even know if the tweet I saw was canonical news, and frankly, I don't really care. I did it anyways.

Hope you have a great day~

Akaashi: Are you going to the volleyball game tonight?

Kenma: Yes.

Kenma: Tetsuro's sister will be there to watch him play.

Kenma: I'm assuming this means the date went well.

Akaashi didn't know how to respond. Yes, Kenma was his friend, but did they really want to hear about something like a first date? They were really hard to read sometimes. Especially when that text reads more like a statement than a question. But after a couple minutes, his friend texted again.

Kenma: I'll save you a seat next to me.

Akaashi: Thank you, Kenma-san.

Kenma: No problem.

Akaashi looked up from his phone and finished packing his textbooks into his backpack. Today would be a long day of lectures and homework, but at least he had something fun to look forward to afterward. Would he be meeting Bokuto's family? Bokuto mentioned that they were coming to see his game tonight, but the two of them had only gone on one date so far. It's not like they were serious yet, or anything. Maybe he wouldn't even get a chance to see Bokuto at all, if his family was coming all this way? But thankfully he would at least be able to sit next to Kenma, instead of having to sit by himself this time around.

The home games always packed the stadium, and the energy was always high and the cheering was always loud. So many people would be there to support the team, and yet here he was, just some random English major, who was able to score a date with one of the players. Scratch that– he had scored a date with one of the BEST players on the team, and even more crazy, that player that asked HIM out. Finally, the wildest aspect of the situation was that the date had gone well–really well–and the athlete was one of the most genuine, humble, and caring people Akaashi had ever met. Was he dreaming? And maybe, just maybe, this Kotaro Bokuto guy would love him for who he was and they would end up being boyfriends… if he was dreaming, might as well dream big, right?

These are the types of thoughts that consumed Akaashi's mind as he walked to class. Not long after his first class started, however, did he feel his phone vibrate in his pocket. He checked it under the desk, making sure it was out of the line of sight of his professor.

Bokuto: last night was rlly great!

Bokuto: just got out of morning practice btw

Bokuto: i already know im gonna play my best bc you're cheering me on tn!

Akaashi smiled. He looked to the front of the classroom to copy down some notes from the slides for a few minutes before he finally responded.

Akaashi: Sorry for the late response, I'm in class right now.

Akaashi: I also had a lot of fun. I can't wait to cheer you on tonight.

Bokuto: texting me in class? naughty akaaaashiiii!

Akaashi: Okay, I'll text you after class, then. Bye, Bokuto-san.

Bokuto: no dnt go!

Akaashi: That's what I thought.

Bokuto: what class are u in rn?

Akaashi: British literature.

Bokuto: waaaaaahh so smart!

Akaashi felt his cheeks get warm. The two continued to text back and forth all through Akaashi's classes, even as Bokuto sat through his classes. Although he was usually a star student, Akaashi found himself only halfway paying attention to his lectures. His thoughts were widely consumed by the gray-haired man with the soft lips and sparkly eyes. God, he really hoped the other man felt the same way.

And so the two love-stricken boys passed the day, even after both had gone back to their dorms, until finally:

Bokuto: ok gtg to the gym now

Bokuto: gotta be there early before warm-up starts

Bokuto: cheer for me tn! and i'll play my best!

Akaashi: I will. Good luck, Bokuto-san.

Bokuto: man i rlly wish you would call me kotaro already :((

Even though it was over text, Akaashi felt his cheeks heating up at the thought of using Bokuto's first name. Already? They had just barely met.

Akaashi: Play well tonight and I'll think about it.

Ah yes, prime flirting. That reply was certain to communicate how much he desperately wanted him, right?

Bokuto: kaaaaashiiiii

Bokuto: no fair! :((

Bokuto: jokes on u tho we gonna win

Bokuto: i'll make sure of that

Bokuto: okay ttyl fr this time

Then just like that, Akaashi was left to his own thoughts as he got ready for the game that night. He decided on black, cuffed, straight-legged jeans with black hightop vans once again, a fashion staple in his closet. For the more casual outing, however, he threw on a light gray school sweatshirt, since the gym would likely be cold. He grabbed his keys, phone, and wallet, then checked his hair in the mirror briefly before heading out the door to meet his friend at the gymnasium.

His phone buzzed as he entered the building. A text from Kenma. They were apparently seated in the bleachers near the west entrance. Perfect, they would be easy to find. As he walked up into the stands, he noticed the small individual engaged in a really animated conversation with a black-haired woman that seemed a bit older. Well, the other party was animated. Kenma was, well, Kenma. Even if they were passionate about the topic, they wouldn't show it. Curiously, Akaashi tried to make out what the two were talking about. He noticed the bench was mostly empty, aside from a brunette girl sitting on the other side of the black-haired woman, and two much older ladies, probably in their fifties, sitting on the other side of the young brunette.

"Look, I don't understand all this coffee language, just tell me how to make coffee like this at home," the stranger insisted. She was holding some sort of iced coffee drink in her hand.

"Like I said, I made you an iced mocha. To make that at home, it's just espresso, chocolate, and milk," Kenma responded bluntly.

"But how is espresso different from coffee?"

"It's just coffee that is ground really fine and brewed quickly for a short period of time. That way it's a smaller amount of liquid but really concentrated."

"But how do I make espresso?"

"You would need an espresso machine. They're kind of expensive, but if you buy one, I'll teach you how to use it." Kenma's voice sounded bored, but considering he had just actually offered to help, it seemed that they were being so much nicer and friendlier than usual. Akaashi assumed this to mean that his friend really enjoyed the older girl's company, and didn't mind her pestering questions.

The raven-haired woman pouted while she contemplated this explanation. As Akaashi finally approached, Kenma waved and gave their friend a small smile.

"Good evening, Kenma-san," Askaashi greeted, taking a seat next to his friend.

Kenma nodded. "Evening."

The girl on the other side of them looked up, and Akaashi finally realized that she looked familiar. Her long, straight black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, but when she turned and her side bangs covered one of her brown eyes, she looked just like a slightly older, feminine version of Kuroo. Kenma did say that Kuroo's sister was coming to watch the game, that must be who this is.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Kozume?" the raven-haired woman spoke.

Kenma sighed and brushed a strand of their long hair behind their shoulder. The small brown-eyed person had their hair in a half-up bun style to pull the front pieces back, but the rest of their waist-length hair was flowing loosely down their back. "This is my friend, Akaashi-san."

Akaashi took a seat beside Kenma, but turned his body to wave politely at the woman.

"Nice to meet you, Akaashi! I'm Kuroo Hitomi, Tetsuro's older sister. And this is my wife, Kuroo Yua." Hearing her name, the other woman turned to see what Hitomi was saying. She looked up and waved at the young man who had just sat down next to Kenma, but before she could really begin any kind of conversation, a loud whistle echoed throughout the gym signaling the end of warm-ups.

The attention of everyone seated in the bleachers was turned to the court in the middle of the expansive building as a game announcer began to introduce the teams. As Bokuto Kotaro's name was called, the owl-haired athlete ran onto the court, jumping and doing a somersault that caused the entire gym to erupt in screams and applause. All eyes were on this spectacular, energetic, confident, and skilled athlete. Akaashi couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten so lucky. Out of all the people screaming Bokuto's name, cheering, unable to take their eyes off the ray of sunshine, that he of all people had been the one to go on a date with him last night. Crazy. Maybe he would get to go on another date with him, too. Take that, screaming fans.

Finally, after the players were introduced and both teams had their huddle, the starting players walked onto the court so the scorekeepers and referee could make note of the lineup. Their starting setter was back again, Akaashi noticed, and Kenma's partner, Kuroo, was standing opposite of the setter as the starting right side. The middles were both insanely tall, as to be expected, and the libero was stretching right behind the baseline. Opposite of Bokuto stood a red-haired player who Akaashi noted seemed nearly as full of sunshine as Bokuto.

"Tetsu told me that guy is a first year student, and the coach just decided on making him a starting player. The other outside hitter opposite of Bokuto-san," Kenma quietly explained to his friend. That first year must be pretty talented, then, if he was already a starter. Bokuto had been a starter his first year, but as one of the top aces in Japan while in high school, that was probably a no-brainer decision.

As people continued to file in to all the empty seats left, the stadium quickly filled up, and all attention was on the court as the game finally began. The other team seemed super intimidating and had won the coin toss for first serve, but the libero dug the serve skillfully, and the setter sent a beautiful set to the outside. Akaashi's ex-setter heart leaped in his chest as he admired the lack of spin and perfect placement of the set. Finally, Bokuto approached the ball in all of his agile and athletic glory. He seemed to fly as he hit a perfect line shot that landed mere centimeters inside the sideline of the court, even while up against two massive and intimidating blockers. The entire stadium erupted in cheering and Bokutos's teammates all slapped him in congratulations. He really was something else, that Bokuto-san. He seemed more excited about his kill than anyone else, but his excitement was electric, infecting the whole stadium with energy. He was definitely on top of his game today.

The game had finally ended. Even though the other team was tough and put up a good fight, Bokuto's team had managed to stay in the lead for most of the game and finished the match in three out of five sets. As Akaashi talked to Kenma, Kuroo's sister, and her wife, he decided that he really liked the Kuroo family. They were extremely nice. The two older ladies that were seated on the other side of the young married couple seemed nice as well, but had said almost nothing during the conversations. He didn't know who they were or how they knew the two younger women, but this long after sitting with this group, Akaashi felt it would be awkward to try to introduce himself to them and get their names now. Seated with Kenma and the Kuroos, though, he assumed they were related to Kuroo Tetsuro. The older ladies had excused themselves to go to the concessions stand, hoping to make it before they closed for the night, so it was just the young adults left to converse.

"Aw man, watching them play really makes me miss playing," Hitomi's wife commented. Her brown hair cascaded down her back and around her face in voluminous curls, and her deep brown eyes glanced lovingly at Hitomi.

"You played?" Akaashi questioned politely.

"Mhm!" Yua cheerfully responded, "We actually played together in high school! I was a libero!"

"Yeah, she was the best out of all the girls teams in our prefecture," Hitomi added, "Maybe even out of the guys."

Yua blushed, her cheeks a deep red at the compliment. "You're biased," the shorter woman responded.

"That too," Hitomi said with a signature Kuroo smirk on her lips.

"Hey hey hey!" a voice called from behind Akaashi.

He turned to see Kuroo leisurely walking towards the group and waving, the other hand in his jacket pocket. The tall raven-haired man's hair was still dripping from his post-game shower. He had his school jacket on, but instead of his uniform he had been wearing during the game, he was wearing some comfy gym shorts and a white shirt under his half-zipped warm up jacket. He approached the group and stood beside Kenma, snaking an arm around his partner's waist.

"Did you cheer for me, Kozume?" he asked, a flirty smirk adorning his features.

"Mhm." Kenma nodded, their face as still as always, but their cheeks were dusted with a light pink as they looked up at their boyfriend.

Tetsuro's smirk grew into a smile at that response. He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on their lips, then turned to look at the rest of the group. "Thank you all for coming to cheer me on. I really felt your support," he thanked. "Bo should be here shortly. Coach wanted to talk to him and our crazy new first year outside, Hinata, after they finished showering," he explained, glancing at Akaashi with a knowing smile.

Akaashi nodded.

"You played so great tonight, Tetsu! I'm so proud of my little brother. You played like a fish in water," Hitomi encouraged.

"You flatter me," Tetsuro responded.

That's when a small group of girls that seemed young, like high-school aged, ran up to the wing spiker. There were maybe four or five of them.

"Kuroo Tetsuro!" they squealed. Kenma's lips pursed and their eyes glared daggers at the group of girls that took their boyfriend's attention away as Tetsuro turned to look at whoever was calling his name. The gaggle of high schoolers was waving and giggling amongst themselves as they collectively approached the athlete.

"Hey," the sought-after wing spiker greeted with a polite smile that crinkled the outer corners of his eyes. One arm was kept firmly around Kozume's waist, the other arm raised in greeting.

"Kuroo-san, can we please take a picture with you?" one of the girls asked, her phone already in hand.

"Of course," the young man responded and stepped away from his partner to stand with all of the girls.

The girl who had her phone out hurriedly placed her phone in Akaashi's hand. "Please take our picture?" She asked.

Akaashi's eyes widened as he nodded. "Sure," he agreed, holding the phone up once they were all in place. The girls all crowded around Kuroo, then Akaashi took a few pictures. They happily left once he finished, giggling and whispering about how hot he was and how close they were to him. High school girls were terrifying. Tetsuro placed his arm around Kozume's shoulders once he returned to his partner, but they continued pouting silently, even as he placed a kiss on top of their head. It was strange to see Kenma's jealous side, as they were usually so chill and unbothered.

"Kaashiiii, you came!" a familiar voice called from behind. Akaashi turned around to see Bokuto running up to the group, his usual grin on his face and sparkle in his eyes. His hair was also still damp, and it now fell over his ears instead of being spiked up like it had been in the game.

Akaashi heard Kuroo's sister snort quietly as his lips formed a small smile. His face felt warm, slightly shy that Bokuto was making such a scene about him coming to the game. But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't happy to see him. Bokuto wrapped his arms around Akaashi in a tight hug that was brief but had Akaashi feeling like time had slowed. He smelled so good, and his body felt so good wrapped around him like that, even if only for a moment. He, like Kuroo, had changed out of his uniform and was now wearing the team warm-up pants, and his warm-up jacket was unzipped, hanging loosely over a white t-shirt that seemed to be holding on for dear life around Bokuto's pectorals.

"Well, you invited me," Akaashi explained shyly, "I wouldn't miss it."

"I could feel your support from the court, and I played the best I've ever played!" Bokuto beamed, then turned to the rest of the group. It almost seemed like he was vibrating with excitement as he bounced in place. "There was no way we would have lost with how well we were all playing tonight. And did you see my hits? They could barely dig those up!" He looked at Akaashi for reassurance.

"They were good, Bokuto-san," Akaashi quietly replied, feeling multiple pairs of eyes on him.

The curly-haired brunette finally spoke up. "Congratulations on the win, little brother!"

Akaashi snapped his head as Kuroo Yua, Hitomi's wife, just referred to Bokuto-san as her little brother. What?

"Thank you! I'm so glad you came into town to watch our game!" Bokuto chirped. He then waved happily as the two older women from earlier returned to the group. He must have noticed Akaashi's look of confusion, because he then realized he should introduce everyone. Even though Akaashi had been sitting with them, maybe he hadn't really met them yet? "This is my older sister, Yua! I mentioned some of my family coming into town to watch the game, right? And these are my moms!" the excited man gestured lovingly to the older women that Akaashi had failed to meet.

Wait. If those were his moms, and this was his sister, but Hitomi was Tetsuro's sister… then he had just been sitting with Bokuto's family the whole time and had no idea, and also did that make Kuroo and Bokuto brother-in-laws? And Bokuto looked nothing like his sister, while Kuroo looked so much like his? Wait, of course, Bokuto was adopted, he might not be blood-related to his sister, that was dumb of him to assume that they would be blood-related. And oh dear, hopefully Bokuto's parents didn't think he was rude for not introducing himself to them… but did they even know who he was? Bokuto wasn't his boyfr–

"Mama, Mom, Yua! This is Akaashi Keiji!" Bokuto introduced the young man to his family.

"We've met," Yua responded with a light laugh.

"It's so good to meet you, Akaashi," one of Bokuto's moms spoke up, a wide smile on her face as she laced her fingers with her wife. She seemed genuine and kind. That must be where Bokuto had learned that from.

Akaashi bowed slightly. "A pleasure to meet you," he greeted.

"Hey, where are Izumi and Shiro?" Bokuto questioned.

"They're with a babysitter tonight. Trust me, this environment would have been too much for them," Hitomi responded.

"Especially Shiro. We thought the 'terrible twos' were supposed to be bad… three years old is worse," Yua added.

Bokuto frowned. He then explained to Akaashi, "Izumi and Shiro are my niece and nephew. They're the cutest, I love them! And I'm definitely their favorite uncle!" He grinned.

Akaashi then imagined Bokuto running around with a small child, throwing said child in the air as the little kid giggled. He would also be such a softie, curling up on the couch to read a book with a little kid… That man would be a wonderful father– thoughtful, kind, encouraging, fun, and full of so much love. Shit, he couldn't be thinking that type of thing already! It was one date, Keiji. Pull yourself together. Why was his mind already picturing the other man as a father? But as he watched Bokuto run his fingers through his own hair, a wide smile consuming his face, Akaashi couldn't help but imagine a future where he got to look at that face every day, and maybe a future where they got to raise a family together. It was a perfect future.

Tetsuro's hand was suddenly on Akaashi's back, breaking the young man from his racing thoughts. "I think this win calls for a victory dinner, whaddya say, Bo?" he questioned as he looked over to his friend and fellow teammate.

"Yes! Let's go to the ramen bar down the road! I'm starving," Bokuto replied, placing a hand on his own stomach for emphasis.

"When are you not hungry?" Bokuto's mother, the one who hadn't talked much yet, teased with a fond smile.

"Maamaaaa, that's mean!"

"She's right, though," his sister chimed in.

Bokuto pouted.

"You're coming too, right Akaashi?" Kenma asked.

"S-sure, if I won't be intruding on anything…" replied Akaashi.

"No, you're fine. I need someone who isn't crazy besides me there, anyways, or I might go insane," Kenma dryly responded.

Akaashi had to wonder, if Kenma-san and Kuroo-san got married, if that would mean that Kenma is related by marriage to Bokuto? This whole group dynamic was a lot to take in. How had Akaashi gotten roped into dinner with the family of a man he had only gone on one date with? But on the other hand, how did it feel so normal, so… right?