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“Hi Sho!”
Hinata looked up to meet the beaming face of Oikawa Tooru, dressed in a pair of overalls and a blue and green striped sweater. He smiled back and opened his arms wide. “Hi Tooru! Where’s Iwaizumi?”
Tooru giggled and fell into the hug, feeling so so small in the arms of another caregiver despite being seven inches taller. “Haji’s so slow, Sho, I run ‘cause I wanna play with Tobi!” Tooru had been looking forward to this playdate for what seemed like forever.
As if on cue Iwaizumi appeared on the steps behind Tooru, resting a hand on the age regressor’s shoulder and sighing. “Sorry, Hinata. He knows he’s not supposed to run off, right?” At the sharper tone in his words Tooru swallowed, pulling away from Hinata and casting his own caregiver a sheepish glance.
“Uh huh. But Tobio, Haji… ‘nd you’re slow!”
Hinata just laughed, stepping aside and waving them in. “It’s cool. Tobi’s in the living room.”
Tooru cheered and ran inside, quickly kicking off his shoes to rush into the living room. Iwaizumi watched him go with a sigh, fixing his haphazardly thrown shoes as he began talking to Hinata.
“Tobi!” Tooru called as he entered the room, finding the boy sat on the carpet surrounded by blankets and toys. “I here! We can play now!”
Tobio looked up from the television at the familiar voice and gasped, pacifier tumbling from his lips and falling to dangle from where it was clipped onto his onesie. “‘Ru!” He held out his arms and Tooru jumped into them, knocking the two littles to the floor. Tobio dissolved into giggles and held tightly onto the older regressor’s shirt as they rolled around on the floor.
“Be careful with the baby, please, Tooru,” Iwaizumi called as he and Hinata entered the living room.
“I super careful!” Tooru gasped in offense, pressing a sloppy kiss to Tobio’s cheek. “He wants big hug.”
Iwaizumi hummed in response, laying Tooru’s duffle bag on the floor next to the couch. “Alright. I have to go now. Are you going to be a good boy for Sho and Tobio? I don’t want to hear about any tantrums about naps.”
Tooru scrunched up his nose. “I always a good boy.” He let go of Tobio to run up to his caregiver, wrapping tight arms around his waist. “Bye, Haji! See you later!” Iwaizumi hugged him back just as tightly, kissing his forehead before he left.
Tooru, despite having anticipated this playdate for a week, found himself tearing up a bit at the sight of the door closing behind his caregiver. Hinata noticed - Iwaizumi had warned him that the little tended to cry a lot - and took Tooru’s hand, leading him back to the floor with Tobio.
“Hey, Tobi, show Tooru your new toys while I go make lunch!” He leaned forward and replaced Tobio’s soother from where it had been dangling from his shirt clip. Tobio hummed happily at having it back in his mouth, turning wide eyes onto the older. “I think he’d like that, don’t you?” Tobio nodded enthusiastically at Hinata’s question, already crawling towards the toy box in the corner of the room. Hinata squeezed Tooru’s hand once before he left to the kitchen as well.
Tooru dropped to the floor and waited for Tobio, wiping at his nose as he did. He knew Iwaizumi was coming back in a few hours. He was just a little sad about him leaving.
Tobio reached inside the box and pulled out a big block with holes of random shapes and sizes, placing it on the floor. He looked back to Tooru, wiggling in place with anticipation. It was a gift from Yamaguchi and Kei for his birthday and it had quickly become one of his favorite toys. “Wook!”
Now, Tooru may not be the nicest to Tobio when they were both big, but he wasn’t about to make him upset when they were both little. Tooru was definitely too old for this toy - he preferred games and toys where he could imagine things, like acting as a cook in a five star restaurant or acting out tea parties with his dolls. Not a simple shape-matching toy. Tooru was a big boy, he was five !
But Tobio was a baby, and Iwaizumi had told him to be good. So he gasped, crawling closer. “Woah! Was’sat, Tobi?”
Tobio started waving his hands back and forth with how excited he was. “Bwock! Put inside!”
Tooru reached out to grab the block, opening up a compartment that released all the block pieces onto the carpet. Tobio giggled at that, practically falling over.
“So cool,” Tooru told him with a genuine grin, closing the compartment and setting the block down. “Do you want to go first?”
Tobio shook his head, picking up a star shaped block and dropping it onto Tooru’s hand. “No, ‘Ru first.”
“I’ll try my best,” Tooru nodded, looking at the block. He could see the star shaped hole on the opposite side of the block but getting it on the first try wouldn’t be fair. He ‘hmm’ed’ to himself, looking at the different shaped holes. “Oh! This one!” He pointed to a circle shaped hole and attempted to push the block through.
Tobio actually did fall over with the force of his laughter this time, rolling onto his back. “N-No!” He giggled, kicking his legs in the air. “Twy ‘gain!”
Tooru found himself laughing as well, attempting multiple different shapes before finally pushing it through the star hole. “I did it!”
“Yay ‘Ru!” Tobio cheered, rolling onto his stomach and clapping. “Me?”
“Yeah, your turn, Tobi! You can do it!” Tooru nodded, handing him the square block. “Do you know what that is?”
Tobio looked down at the block and then at the bigger block, frowning. “Um… Yes.” It was obvious he didn’t but Tooru just played along.
“Yeah, ‘cause you’re super smart. Now you gots to find the square hole.” Tobio lit up at the name and nodded, army-crawling forward to begin pushing it at different shaped holes.
“Sqware!” Tobio finally cheered as the shape pushed through, beaming up at Tooru. The older repeated him with enthusiastic clapping and Tobio laughed again, kicking his bare legs out behind him.
The two continued playing with the block until Tobio finally pushed the last circle inside. Hinata appeared soon after, content to see that Tobio had effectively distracted Tooru from an impending breakdown. “Oh, did you two finish the block? Awesome!” Hinata asked as he crouched next to the two regressors. “Let’s celebrate with some lunch!”
Tobio hummed behind his pacifier and rolled up to a sitting position, holding his arms out. Tooru watched in surprise as Hinata stood and lifted Tobio with him. “Strong Sho,” Tooru giggled, standing and following behind the two as he walked to the kitchen.
“I try,” Hinata nodded, setting Tobio down onto a booster seated chair, reaching down to secure a buckle around his waist. “Tobi doesn’t like to walk too much when he’s little, huh?” He tugged at the pacifier between the boy’s lips and let it fall to dangle from his shirt once more. “You can sit down wherever, Tooru. I can’t cook very well so I just made chicken nuggets!”
Tooru sat down at the chair opposite Tobio and thanked the caregiver when a plastic Disney plate was set in front of him, along with his sippy cup. He gasped at the sight, grabbing it and taking a drink of the juice inside. Iwaizumi must have brought it in his bag! His Haji thinks of everything.
Tobio had the same across from him but his chicken nuggets were cut into smaller pieces and his apple juice was in a bottle. Hinata filled the silence of their lunch, coming up with stories and anecdotes that had Tooru laughing in between bites and Tobio spitting juice across the table.
After lunch - and cleaning up the juice - Hinata lifted Tobio out of the chair and into his arms once more. Tooru followed close behind with a hand on Hinata’s elbow, watching as they moved down the hallway instead of into the living room where they had been earlier.
“Where we going?” Tooru asked, confused,
“We’re going to Tobio’s bedroom,” Hinata told him, voice softer than it had been in the kitchen. “It’s naptime.” He gave Tooru a knowing glance and the little frowned, looking away.
He knew Iwaizumi had warned Hinata, but he still felt like voicing his dislike. “Don’t like naps, Sho.”
Hinata laughed. “I know you don’t. But if you take one for me I promise Iwaizumi will be here when you wake up!”
Tooru perked up but quickly recovered. He didn’t want to seem too enthusiastic. It was still a nap after all. “I guess,” he eventually responded, tapping his fingers where they laid on Hinata’s arms. “But still don’t like.”
Tooru continued to stick close to the redhead as they entered Tobio’s bedroom, staying by his side as Hinata changed the younger and dressed him in a onesie that wasn’t stained with juice and sauce from his lunch. Tooru was a big boy, so he didn’t spill any. After Hinata changed Tobio he helped Tooru change out of his clothes and into soft pants and a shirt that Iwaizumi had packed instead of his overalls.
Tobio’s room was small but comforting - there weren’t glow in the dark stars on the ceiling like his own bedroom but there was a night light that displayed animal shapes onto the wall across from the bed. That was cool. Not as cool as his stars, but pretty cool.
“Tooru?” Hinata called and Tooru jumped, turning around. He hadn’t realized how entrancing the moving animal shapes were. Tobio was already tucked into bed, pacifier once again between his lips and a stuffed cat tucked in the crook of his arm. Hinata was holding out his bright green alien plush and he gasped. How did Iwaizumi know he needed that to sleep! He must be a mind reader.
Tooru took the plush with bright red cheeks and let Hinata lead him to the bed, climbing beside Tobio. The boy was already half asleep but he gurgled at the sight of his friend joining him, too tired to speak and instead making soft noises as he curled up into his side. Hinata laughed softly and leaned down to press a kiss to both of their foreheads.
“Have a good nap, you two. Iwaizumi will be here when you wake up, okay?” Hinata spoke the last bit to Tooru and the brunette nodded, watching as the caregiver left the room, shutting the door behind him and bathing the room in darkness.
The only light left was from Tobio’s nightlight, softly humming as it cast the dimly lit animals onto the wall. Tooru fell asleep to the repetitive movement of the shapes dancing across the wall and Tobio’s soft breaths against his cheek.
“He actually took a nap?”
Tooru scrunched his eyes shut tighter at the voice. He wasn’t ready to wake up just yet, he was tired and warm and - wait.
“Yeah, only complained once! He was awesome.”
Tooru lifted a sleep-heavy hand to rub at his eyes, slowly prying them open. The light was still off but the door was open, letting in the hallway light. There were two silhouettes in the doorway and he gasped, sitting up slightly. “Haji?”
“Mornin’, sleepyhead. Have you had a good day with Hinata and Tobio?” Iwaizumi grinned, stepping inside the room. At the mention of the other little Tooru turned to find the other side of the bed empty. He looked back to the caregivers for answers. “Tobio’s in the living room. We wanted you to sleep a bit longer, ‘cause I know how much of a little monster you are when it comes to naps.”
Tooru scoffed, sliding off the bed and running into Iwaizumi’s arms, alien plush squished between their chests. “Am not, Haji. Mean.”
Iwaizumi just laughed, holding the little to his side with one arm as he gathered Tooru’s belongings from Hinata. They followed the redhead to the living room where Tooru finally let go of his caregiver to rush to Tobio’s side, tackling him in yet another hug.
“Tobi, I gots to go now! But promise I come back, ‘kay?” Tooru was a little more emotional than he thought he would be - he always was after naps, but Iwaizumi said he cried all the time anyways which was totally not true - but he just sniffled and forced his tears away. “Next time at my house! Can play dolls!”
Tobio giggled and nodded, patting Tooru’s back in the hug. “‘Kay, ‘Ru!”
Tooru pulled away and swiped an arm across his eyes before returning to Iwaizumi’s side. He bashfully thanked Hinata and hugged him as well, happily burying his face in the caregiver’s bright hair before he took Iwaizumi’s hand and they left, Tooru waving enthusiastically until the door shut behind them.
“Can we have another playdate tomorrow?” Tooru asked as he and Iwaizumi started down the sidewalk, smiling innocently down at his caregiver. The man raised an eyebrow.
“If you can go to bed tonight without being a brat I’ll think about it.”
“Haji, mean!”