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It had been half a year since Kuroko’s passing. Somehow it all felt like it happened yesterday and like an eternity ago at the same time. Of course being a vampire made Aomine’s perception of time different from other people anyway, since for normal 118-year-olds their only plan in life is to die, while he on the other hand happened to be a single dad for a baby. Well, it was not like he could really even call Tetsuki a baby anymore – since he wasn’t fully human he had developed a lot faster than that and could pass as a four-year-old both physically and mentally.
Aomine had had a rough start to his fatherhood and for the first days after the tragic event that was the beginning of one life and an ending to another, he had just abandoned everything. His home, the baby, the dead body of his lover. He ran to the woods, tried to escape from the grim reality, tried to make himself stop thinking altogether. He found it to be impossible. He felt anger, he felt sorrow, he felt guilt. If he had not seduced Kuroko he wouldn’t have died, he thought. Even though it had been more like the other way around. He blamed the baby for being a monster and destroying Kuroko. But then again he was the one that was responsible for creating it in the first place. No, it was Kuroko who had decided against the abortion. In the end he got tired of thinking who was to blame. It was not like that was going to change anything after all.
Finally he could not bear to be alone with his thoughts anymore, he had to face reality and return home to whatever was going to face him in there.
Getting closer to home, he could smell Kagami before he could see him, hence him being a stinky werewolf and all. There was also another, a lot fainter smell, which immediately reminded him of Kuroko. Aomine carefully got in the house, trying to be prepared for anything. Based on where the odors seemed to originate, he climbed upstairs.
As he was expecting, he saw Kagami sitting on a couch, holding a baby. He didn’t look like his usual self; he looked like he had not slept well and had spent days crying. Hell, Aomine probably wasn’t any better.
“Oh, look who came back, I wasn’t sure if you were man enough to do that.” Kagami said, raising his dumb-looking eyebrows.
Usually Aomine would tell him to shut the fuck up but not now. The baby on Kagami’s lap turned his head a little and stared straight at him with his big blue eyes. Eyes just like Kuroko’s, but mixed in with a darker blue, a shade his own pair used to be back in 1918. He had grown some soft hair of the same color on top of his head. There was no way this baby was a monster. Aomine got closer to them, offering the baby his finger. The baby wrapped his tiny palm around it.
“Tetsu…” Aomine muttered.
Kagami wasn’t pleased. “I know he looks like him but don’t you think it is bit weird to name him after Tetsuya? He is a different individual after all.”
Aomine furrowed his brows and thought for a moment. “Tetsuki.”
“That’s not very different—“
“Whose baby is this again, you stinky hound? I can name him a basketball if I want.”
“You can’t!!” Kagami yelled, which made the baby start crying. Aomine snatched him from Kagami’s arms and tried to soothe him.
“Yes I can, but I won’t. He will be Tetsuki.” Tetsuki felt very small in his big hands. At that moment Aomine swore that he would protect this small being with everything he had, no matter what.
Aomine smiled a bit at the memory. Meeting Tetsuki properly for a first time was the first moment that showed a bit of light at the end of a tunnel. A really long tunnel, but nevertheless. He had days that were fine; he had days that were very grim. Because he could not sleep everything kind of blended together, making it one big mush of emotions. When he was down he tried to focus on the happy memories.
Today he was feeling okay. He was just missing Kuroko and had decided to go visit his grave. He took Tetsuki with him. Tetsuki didn’t have any memories of his other dad, but he was big enough to understand and remember the stories Aomine had told about him.
Aomine walked the familiar path through the graveyard with his son. Kuroko’s gravestone was simple yet beautiful and Aomine crouched in front of it to place a bouquet of light blue forget-me-nots in front of it. The tiny flowers were small and cute and always reminded Aomine of him. “I will never forget about you, so don’t you forget about me where ever you might be.” He whispered. He could feel his eyes tear up a bit.
Tetsuki, being very attentive, noticed it. “Daddy, don’t be sad.”
Aomine took a deep breath. “Pumpkin, it is okay to be sad sometimes. Being sad about losing something means that it was precious to us. And he was the most precious thing I ever had.”
“Oh, okay. But uncle Kagami said that being sad is useless.” Tetsuki said innocently.
“Tell him that he is useless. And that jerk cried a lot in the past too, you were just too young to remember.” Aomine pouted. Wow, Kagami truly managed to ruin the mood even though he wasn't even there. Then again, there was no right or wrong way to grieve. Kuroko would surely be happier if he knew that Aomine wasn’t moping all the time. A small smile lit up on Aomine’s face. He would never forget about him, but he was going to keep on living. He had started a new chapter in his life, being a dad for the first time and all, and he was going to make the best out of it.