Chapter Text
Bokuto has waited for this day to come for almost three weeks now and was therefore really energetic on his way, jumping up and down as if he was a child on his way to get himself some ice cream. When he got closer to his destination, he already caught sight of him from far away, his hands burried in the pockets of his pants, shoulders relaxed and a smile on his face. He was looking at his wrist watch before he turned into his direction where he spotted him in the crowd immediately. Though it wasn't that difficult, considering Bokuto's hair colour. When Bokuto finally managed to pass all those people and reached him, he pulled him into a crushing hug.
“Long time, no see, bro.”
Kuroo grinned at him and hugged him back no less tight.
“I missed you, man. How have you been? And how are Akaashi and Shouyou?”
“We're all fine. Akaashi will go back to university starting in April and Shouyou will attend preschool soon. What about you and Daichi?”
The way Kuroo grinned at him he was sure that there was something he was very happy about.
“He finally got to resign from his rental agreement and will move into the flat at the end of August.”
Bokuto slapped Kuroo's back and grinned.
“Congrats man!”
“Thanks so much.”
Kuroo was still living in the same flat he did before. The only difference was that Bokuto had moved out two months ago to be with Akaashi and Shouyou, to make things easier between them. Even if that had meant to leave his best friend back at the other end of the city. To hear that he would soon live together with his boyfriend made Bokuto happy as he knew how much Kuroo had longed for that.
Kuroo put an arm around Bokuto and dragged him towards the entrance.
“Let's save the talk for later though or we'll be late to the movie!”
“It's a shame how busy we are”, Kuroo said with a small sigh, slowly stirring his coffee.
They had finished the movie they were watching and did some shopping before they went into the little cafe they were now sitting in.
“I get what you mean.” Bokuto leaned back and turned his head to the little presents he got Akaashi and Shouyou. He looked back at Kuroo, listening to his stories about university, his neighbours, who once have been Bokuto's neighbours as well. It felt good to talk to Kuroo face to face after almost two months.
“You know”, Kuroo suddenly said, “I'm glad that everything will finally get a little calmer from next weekend on. I have a few days off from work. What about you? We could play some video games.”
Bokuto started to grin.
“I'm so in for that.”
“It's a date then.”
–
A few days later, Bokuto went to Kuroo's flat, feeling a little like he was going home after being away for some time. He had taken Shouyou with him because Akaashi had to work so Kuroo found his legs being hugged.
“Uncle Kuroo!”
Kuroo lifted him up and grinned at him.
“Why, if this isn't my best friend Shouyou! How is my favourite boy doing?”
Shouyou giggled and wrapped his arms around Kuroo's neck.
“Isn't Papa your best friend?”
“Psst, don't tell him”, whispered Kuroo to him, “but I like you even more.”
Again Shouyou giggled and looked to his Papa to grin at him. Bokuto smiled back at him.
“What is it?”
“It's a secret between Uncle Kuroo and me!”
Kuroo started to laugh and ruffled Shouyou's hair before he put him down again.
“You can go into the living room, I'll get the drinks and snacks.”
“I'll help you!” said Shouyou with a big smile before he followed Kuroo into the kitchen.
They came back to Bokuto comfortably sitting on the couch, watching some comedy show. He smiled when he saw Shouyou sticking out his tongue in concentration so that he wouldn't drop the snacks.
“Come on, let me help you.”
“No, I can do it alone!”
He carefully placed the snacks on the table and grinned at Bokuto.
“See?”
Bokuto ruffled the hair of his son.
“Are you ready then?”
“Yes!”
It was about three hours later when Bokuto, who currently watched Kuroo and Shouyou play together, suddenly had an idea.
“Hey Tetsu.”
“Hmm?”
“Are you by any chance free next weekend as well?”
“I think I am? Daichi wanted to come over but I guess we'll stay at home because he's gonna be tired after work. Why are you asking?”
“Could you look after Shouyou?”
“Mhm, sure. Why all of a sudden though?”
Bokuto started to smile.
“I want to take Keiji out on a date. I mean, just the two of us. So we can stay out late.”
“What are you planning?”
“Okay, listen...”
–
“...and behave, alright? Listen to what Uncle Kuroo and Uncle Daichi say.”
“I will!”
Akaashi kissed his son's forehead before he thanked Kuroo and Daichi again and went back home.
Bokuto had been waiting for him already and he had a big grin on his face when he kissed his boyfriend.
“Are you ready?”
“To be honest I still don't see why this is necessary.”
Though the pout on Bokuto's face made him quickly add: “But surprise me.”
After all he knew how much time Bokuto had invested into planning everything and that he had looked forward to it the entire week. He might as well try to enjoy this. Especially since he knew that Bokuto was doing this for him. For them.
“And to answer your question: yes, I'm ready!”
Bokuto took him out into the city for some window shopping. It wasn't much yet he knew that Akaashi liked but rarely had any time for it. The small smile on his lips was proof that he chose the right thing.
It was in the short past noon when they got hungry and went into a fast food restaurant, where Bokuto made his boyfriend laugh by accidentally smearing mustard under his nose, making it look like he had a moustache.
“No, no, Keiji, you got it wrong. It's not a moustache. It's a mustardche.”
Akaashi snorted so hard that the coke he was drinking came out through his nose, making Bokuto laugh even harder than he already was.
They left when a worker came up to them and asked them to be a bit more quiet so that the other customers wouldn't feel disturbed, but not without apologizing first.
After all they had manners.
Through the entire date Bokuto was taking pictures with his phone of everything that captured his eyes. And that was mostly Akaashi.
He especially loved that snap of Akaashi which he took in a pet store, when Akaashi looked incredibly fond of a tiny kitten in his arms. He immediately set it as his new phone background.
It was getting dark when Akaashi suggested to go home. He only realized how cold it became when Bokuto took his freezing hand into his warm one and dragged him forward – into another direction.
“This isn't the way home...”
“I know. Trust me, I have a surprise for you.”
Bokuto took of his jacket and gave it to Akaashi.
“So you won't freeze to death.”
Akaashi rolled his eyes but gladly took the jacket before he took Bokuto's hand again and followed him.
When Bokuto stopped he turned around to Akaashi and grinned at him.
“Close your eyes and don't look until I tell you to, okay?”
Akaashi sighed, but he was somehow excited though. He nodded and closed his eyes, trusting Bokuto completely when he led him somewhere unknown. He didn't know what to expect, it was Bokuto after all and he always had the most ridiculous ideas.
They suddenly stopped and by the way Bokuto squeezed his hands he could feel how excited he was.
“Okay, you can open your eyes now, Keiji.”
Akaashi recognized the park behind the apartment complex where Bokuto used to share a flat with Kuroo, but his eyes were all drawn to the scene in front of him.
There was an inflatable pool on the grass with lots of blankets and cushions in there. Around the pool were lots of lit tea lights, their soft light making it look warm and inviting.
Akaashi was actually speechless at that sight. He felt Bokuto's gaze on himself.
“So? Do you like it?” Bokuto was practically vibrating from excitement. But there was something else. It took Akaashi a while until he realized that his boyfriend was nervous.
He closed his eyes and breathed a little before he opened them again and looked at Bokuto with such a genuine happy smile on his face, that Bokuto blushed at that sight and that made Akaashi smile a little wider.
“I love it.” He stepped closer and cupped Bokuto's cheeks. “I love you, Koutarou.”
Akaashi closed the gap between them and kissed him. Bokuto wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist and pulled him to himself, deepening the kiss just slightly.
“Shouldn't we do what you took me here for?” Akaashi breathed against Bokuto's lips and Bokuto quickly pressed his face in the crook of Akaashi's neck, taking a few deep breaths before he nodded.
Bokuto climbed in first, holding Akaashi's hand as he helped him to get in. They lied down, Akaashi's head on Bokuto's chest, the latter's arm wrapped around him, holding him close. After some time Bokuto had started to slowly stroke Akaashi's hair. Sometimes he would stop to point out especially bright stars in the dark sky. Akaashi hummed in response and cuddled up to him, listening to Bokuto's steady heartbeat.The later it got, the colder it was and soon Bokuto's body warmth wasn't enough to stop Akaashi from shivering. When the taller one noticed he pulled a few more blankets over his boyfriend and rubbed his arms to warm him up a little and it seemed to work.
It was late when Akaashi sleepily muttered: “We should go home because if we stay any longer I'll fall asleep and not wake up until the next morning.”
Bokuto smiled at this and pressed a tiny kiss to Akaashi's head.
“Fine, let's go home.”
It took a while to pack their things, since Bokuto had to let the air out of the pool and fold the blankets. Meanwhile Akaashi collected the cushions and tea lights, blowing them out and letting them cool down for a little before packing them. He yawned more than once while doing so, causing Bokuto to hurry up a little. He looked around one final time when he had everything packed, so they wouldn't accidentally leave anything behind.
“Okay, I think we're ready to go.”
He took Akaashi's hand and didn't let go until they came back home.
Bokuto was about to start unpacking everything, but Akaashi dragged him away.
“We can do that tomorrow. Let's go to bed, okay?”
Bokuto started to protest when he saw how tired Akaashi was.
“Alright.”
They slipped into bed and Akaashi immediately cuddled up to him, pressing his face into Bokuto's chest.
“Thank you for today,” he mumbled exhausted. “I really enjoyed it.”
Bokuto smiled at him.
“So you'd do something like this again sometime?”
A tired “Mhm” was all he got in response before Akaashi fell asleep.
Bokuto smiled to himself before closing his eyes. He'd have to ask him tomorrow, but he was sure that he already knew the answer...
–
Next friday Akaashi came home all tired from work after a double shift. A yawn escaped his lips when he made his way into the kitchen, where he found a box on the table, containing his favourite pizza. He smiled when he saw that Bokuto had brought him a heart-shaped one. That was so cheesy. And that quite literally.
He put the whole pizza in the oven for a few minutes to warm it up. It was easier than to microwave each piece. Meanwhile he changed his clothes before he went back into the kitchen to make himself a tea. Akaashi felt how sore his muscles were when he got up to take the pizza out of his oven.
After a bite he allowed himself to lean back a little and relax. The pizza was as good as always and it reminded him how he met Bokuto. Back then it had been a hard time for him, taking care of a five year old and keeping the flat clean while working a lot. It wasn't easy. But then Bokuto came into his life and that memory made Akaashi smile. Their whole story had something magical to it, as if it was a fairy tale and Bokuto was the prince, his one true love, who came to save him.
But it was reality and Akaashi knew that it made him a very lucky man.
Akaashi licked his finger before he took the next slice. It was quiet, so Bokuto and Shouyou had probably left, leaving him wonder when they would come back. Knowing them and their endless energy it wouldn't be too soon. Maybe they even went to visit Kuroo.
He finished the last slice of pizza and neatly folded the box before throwing it away. Another yawn escaped him and he considered lying down and getting some rest before Bokuto and Shouyou would come home. It seemed like a good plan.
But first he wanted to see if Shouyou had tidied up his room like he had promised him. Akaashi stretched a little when he got up and then went to his son's room.
He was surprised when he opened the door. Not only did he do what he had promised him, but apparently neither him nor Bokuto had left the house like he had thought they did.
Because Bokuto was lying on the floor, arm wrapped tightly around Shouyou who was lying on top of him and each of them clutched to an action figure. They were both asleep so Akaashi tiptoed closer to them to not wake them up. He smiled when he saw that Shouyou was drooling all over Bokuto's shirt and heard Bokuto's light snoring. The peaceful scene warmed his heart and he leaned down to kiss their foreheads before he quietly got up and took the pillow and blanket from Shouyou's bed which he carefully put under his boyfriend's head and over Shouyou. Akaashi left the room and came back a minute later, another pillow and blanket in his arms. He lied down next to Bokuto and cuddled up to him. It didn't take long for Akaashi to feel like he was growing more tired and the warmth and scent of his two favourite people slowly lulled him to sleep.
When he woke up, he was lying in his bed, he realized, as it was much softer than the floor in his son's room which he had fallen asleep on. Akaashi allowed himself to close his eyes again and relax for five more minutes before he got up, stretched, and made his way into the kitchen.
He found his boyfriend along with his son sitting at the table, both shirtless for some reason and obviously sleepy. They didn't spot him yet so he kept quiet and just watched them for a while. He had noticed a while ago that Shouyou had started to imitate his Papa and had also picked up some habits from him.
And now they were sitting at the table, both eating cereals and Akaashi almost laughed out loud when he saw that they both lifted their spoons at the same time, put them in their mouths at the same time, chewed and then yawned at the same time. It was almost like their was sitting a tinier version of Bokuto with bright orange hair sitting next to him, or a much taller version of Shouyou.
Bokuto turned his head a little and saw Akaashi standing there so he smiled at him.
Akaashi kept standing in the door and there was so much love in his eyes as he watched these two people who meant the world to him, that Bokuto just had to get up and kiss him right there.
“Good evening, love,” Bokuto whispered to him as he put his forehead against Akaashi's.
“Good evening to you too, Papa,” Akaashi smiled back at him and watched as Bokuto blushed at his choice of words.
“Did you sleep well? I carried you into the bed after I woke up. I didn't even notice how you joined us.”
“You were both sleeping like logs so I'm not surprised that you didn't notice. What did you even do to get this tired?”
“We kept playing tag outside and then hide and seek until it started to rain and then we kept playing in the flat until Shouyou wanted to play superheroes and apparently we both fell asleep while playing.”
“I see. I guess now it's my turn to go outside with him.”
Bokuto smiled apologetically at him.
“I would do that for you so you could get some rest, but I have to work a double shift myself tomorrow.”
“I know, Koutarou. Don't worry about it.”
Bokuto kissed his boyfriend's forehead and sat down again to finish his food.
“Shouyou, do you want to go to the park tomorrow?”
Shouyou jumped up in excitement and almost knocked over his and Bokuto's bowls.
“Yes! Please Daddy, let's go to the park!”
“After lunch then, okay?”
“Okay!”
–
They left right after lunch and Bokuto waved them goodbye. He had some more time before he had to leave for work.
Shouyou held Akaashi's hand the entire time until they reached the entrance of the park and then he just stormed off, leaving Akaashi behind. But he never ran too far so that he couldn't see his daddy anymore. After all he knew that there were evil people in the world and he was afraid that they would try to kidnap his daddy because he was such an amazing and pretty person. If that ever happened he'd have to protect him.
After a while Shouyou came back to Akaashi's side and showed him some pretty stones he had found. It reminded Akaashi of days when they didn't know Bokuto. When he was still working at that horrible place. He thought about how much had changed since then and it was mostly thanks to Bokuto. If he hadn't appeared back then, his life would most likely still be the same. There weren't enough words to tell Bokuto how grateful Akaashi was for him. For being there for them. For everything he did for them.
Akaashi sat down on a bench near the playground and watched his son run off again. He almost jumped when someone suddenly put a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, calm down, it's just me,” a familiar voice said and Akaashi could hear that he was smiling before he even turned around to greet him.
“I just didn't expect you here all of the sudden, Iwaizumi.”
Iwaizumi rubbed the back of his head .
“I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you.”
“Don't worry about it. Wanna sit down?”
“Sure.”
Iwaizumi sat down next to him and leaned back.
“Are you alone?” Akaashi asked him curiously and Iwa laughed a little.
“No, but the other two wanted to get some ice cream first.”
“I see. How is Oikawa's knee?”
“Better, lately. I just hope it stays this way.”
“It must be hard.”
“It is. Sometimes he can't even get up without help. Though it happens mostly when he doesn't listen to the doctor and carries around something heavy.”
Iwaizumi frowned.
“But there are days where it's because of the weather and sadly we can't do anything against that.”
He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“What about you and Bokuto? He moved in with you a little ago, didn't he?”
Akaashi smiled a little and nodded.
“A little more than two months ago. It got a lot easier since then to be honest. With picking up Shouyou from kindergarten and taking care of him I mean. Also just.. everything in general.”
“Congrats to you two then! And yeah I remember it was the same for Tooru and me back then. Speak of the devil, look who's coming.”
Akaashi turned around and saw Oikawa there. But he wasn't alone.
“I guess the ice cream isn't the only reason he's late.”
Iwaizumi just smiled.
“Daaaaad!”
He ran up to Iwaizumi, his cheeks red from running and excitement.
“Dad. Dad. Dad! Daddy even bought me two scoops of ice cream! I got vanilla and pistachio.”
Iwaizumi put a hand on his son's head.
“And I ate it slowly like you told me to!”
“I'm glad to hear that.”
“Tobio is that you?”
Behind Tobio, Shouyou had appeared out of nothing . His hands, arms and face were covered in mud, but he had the biggest grin on his face.
“Shouyou! I didn't know you were here, too.”
“I even was here first! So that means I win!”
“That's not fair! I didn't know this!”
“Then let's have a race! To the big tree!”
“I will win!”
“No, you won't!”
“You will see!”
“Daddy, can you count to three?”
Akaashi smiled at them.
“Sure. Are you ready? One and two and three!”
Shouyou and Tobio both ran off.
Akaashi and Iwaizumi watched their sons racing when Akaashi let out a sigh. Iwaizumi started to grin.
“Already thinking about how to get the stains out of his clothes?”
He laughed when Akaashi rubbed his face and groaned a little.
“Please don't remind me. I'll think of that when I get home.”
“Think of what?”
They turned around and saw Oikawa finally reaching the bench, along with Hanamaki and Matsukawa. Makki carried a sleeping Akira in his arms, while Mattsun held hands with Akira's twin brother Yuutarou.
“We met on the way,” Oikawa explained. “So what were you thinking about?” he said while sitting down on Iwaizumi's lap, leaving the free space for Makki, Mattsun and their children.
“Stains in clothes. But actually I tried to not think about it.”
Makki chuckled.
“I can understand that. Stains are evil.”
“Yuutarou, don't you want to join Tobio and Shouyou? It's boring sitting here with us old men,” Mattsun asked his son.
“Don't wanna,” Yuutarou replied and clung to his dad.
“Why not?”
“Akira's asleep. Don't wanna play without him.”
“Alright,” Matsukawa said as he ruffled his son's hair.
Yuutarou cuddled up to him and let out a yawn to fall asleep himself a few minutes later, just like his brother.
Akaashi watched that scene with a smile on his face. It calmed him down, being with other people who were in the same situation as him. Raising children wasn't an easy task. And talking to them made him feel less lonely or isolated. It had became better after he had met Bokuto, but sometimes that old feeling got a hold of him again, making him feel small and weak. As if this was an impossible task.
But them being there, giving him advice or even just listening to them talking made everything so much easier for him.
Not that he would tell them any of that because he knew that they would worry about him and he didn't want that.
But he was truly thankful for them being in his life.
“Daddy? Do you have a handkerchief? My nose is running.” Shouyou suddenly stood in front of him, his entire face was covered in mud. Tobio, who stood next to him didn't look any better.
Akaashi sighed and searched for a handkerchief in his pockets, but apparently he had left them at home. A fatal mistake.
He looked up when Iwaizumi gave him one.
“Here, take this one.”
“Thank you.”
He was grateful for his wonderful friends, knowing that they always got his back and that he could always rely on them.
It was an incredibly nice feeling.
„Daddyyyyyyyy... there's mud in my shoes!!“
His friends started to laugh.
...most of the time, at least.