Work Text:
It’s June 23rd, 10:56 PM. Ken should be asleep, Akihiko reasons. He hasn’t heard any noise coming from his room for a while. Then again, the kid is also about to turn 13, and teenagers are…
Well, Akihiko shouldn’t really say anything, considering what his teenage years were like.
He slips into his room and sees Shinjiro is already sitting on the bed, envelope in hand. “It arrived in time,” he says quietly, curling up next to his boyfriend. “Mitsuru came through.”
“You really think she wouldn’t?” Shinjiro replies dully, but he’s smiling. “She’s always come through for us. When I was in my coma-”
“Shinji,” Akihiko warns.
“-and with your transition,” Shinjiro continues. “Wouldn’t be surprised if she offered to help pay for Ken’s, too, if he decides he wants to. We’re gonna be owing her for the rest of our lives. Probably after ‘em, too.”
“Don’t ever let her hear you say that, she might just follow through,” Akihiko jokes, leaning on Shinjiro’s shoulder. He takes a shuddering breath. “We’re really doing this, huh?”
Shinjiro doesn’t answer at first. He wraps an arm around Akihiko and sighs, pulling them both down so they’re lying on the bed properly. “It’s really not gonna change anything, you realize.”
Akihiko nods, the vibrations ruffling Shinjiro’s hair. “Sure, but it still feels… it’s a lot. But I want to do it.”
“Me too.”
Akihiko smiles to himself, letting his eyes drift closed. “Then I guess it really is no big deal.”
. . .
It’s a school day, unfortunately, so Ken wakes up at his usual time. Akihiko is already sitting at the table, drinking coffee. Koromaru runs up to Ken, tail wagging happily, as he always does. “Hey. Happy birthday, Ken.”
Ken rubs his eyes blearily before opening them. “Huh? Oh- oh yeah… thank you, Akihiko-san.” He sniffs the air. “Wait… did Shinjiro-san-”
“Make pancakes? Yeah, I did,” Shinjiro says, placing a stack on the table. “Happy birthday, kid.”
“I’m thirteen,” he says, sitting down in his chair. “I’m hardly a child anymore.”
“Ken, you hated being called a kid even when you were a kid. At this point, you need to accept we do it out of tradition,” Akihiko replies dryly. Ken doesn’t respond, instead opting to load his plate with pancakes and syrup. He eyes Akihiko’s mug warily before getting a glass of orange juice.
They eat in silence, but it’s far from awkward. Ken swallows and glances between them. “Um, I know this is last notice, but a few people from the soccer team want to do something with me after classes. I only found out last night right before I fell asleep,” he adds. “We don’t- there’s no big plans for tonight, so I figured-”
Akihiko looks at Shinjiro and shrugs. “I mean, could you be back for dinner? I think I can convince Shinji to make your favorite for the occasion.”
“Tch, his favorite is an omelette, even you can make that, dipshit.”
Ken smiles. “Yeah, I’ll be back for dinner. But is it alright for me to go?” The two older men make affirmative noises and the smile grows. “Thanks. And thank you for the pancakes, Shinjiro-san.” He takes his dishes to the sink and walks back to his room, Koromaru trailing like a shadow.
As soon as the bedroom door shuts, Akihiko exhales. “That actually works out well for us, doesn’t it?”
“Seriously. It’s about fucking time we got a lucky streak for once,” Shinjiro jokes, clearing his own plate. “I gotta get to work soon, but I’ll be back by three. When’s everybody-”
“Four. Gives us a couple of hours. See you later.” He kisses Shinjiro on the cheek, morning stubble scratching his lips. Shinjiro scoffs at the gesture, but it’s more affectionate than anything.
Ken’s past three birthdays have been… rather awful, as far as Akihiko’s concerned. The poor kid was alone for the first two; he wouldn’t join SEES until a couple months after he turned eleven. Then, while there were plans for his twelfth birthday, an unexpected storm had them all bunkered down at home, waiting out the flood. Ken swore up and down that he wasn’t disappointed by it, but he was nowhere near as good at lying as he thought he was. And thirteen was a big deal, or at least it should be. Ken insisted he didn’t need a birthday party, those were for children, so Akihiko and Shinjiro didn’t force it.
But they also knew that if the rest of SEES didn’t do something to celebrate his birthday, they’d pummel Aki and Shinji into next month.
So Akihiko busies himself with training, straightening up the main room, making sure Koromaru doesn’t get into trouble, and rummaging through Ken’s closet. And then his drawers. He feels rather awful about going through Ken’s private belongings. Kotone asked him to find something though, and it had to be- there!
“Kotone, I hope this was worth it,” he mutters to himself as he puts everything back.
True to his word, Shinjiro returns shortly before three, immediately heading to the kitchen to preheat the oven. Akihiko is told in no uncertain terms that even crossing the threshold into the kitchen will result in a breakup. It’s not a threat that Akihiko has any intention of testing. It’s probably a joke, though.
Probably.
. . .
The doorbell rings at exactly 3:46, with Kotone not even waiting before unlocking the door and waltzing in. “We’re here! Is the birthday boy-”
“Out,” Akihiko says quickly. “Gonna surprise him.”
Aigis smiles. “I have heard plenty about surprise parties, but I have never seen one myself. I’m eager to see what it’s like.”
“From what I’ve heard, it’s less of a surprise party and more just a… surprise get-together. Well, maybe it’s a party,” Fuuka muses.
Minato offers a slight grin, and Akihiko returns it. The former field leader has grown a lot more cheerful in the year since Nyx was sealed away. Maybe having death itself no longer living inside you cured depression? He was still nowhere near as energetic as his sister, but not even Koromaru hyped up on adrenaline and caffeine was as energetic as Kotone.
“Oh, uh, yeah. I found his old hoodie,” Akihiko says, grabbing it off the table. “Wish you would tell me what you’re using it for, though…”
Kotone doesn’t answer, she just grabs it and calls Koromaru over. “Oh, it’ll be perfect! It’s a present for both of you, isn’t that exciting!” Koromaru barks in response, tail wagging rapidly.
“Seriously, what are you planning?”
“I believe Kotone wants to modify Ken-kun’s old sweatshirt into a new shirt for Koromaru-san,” Aigis explains. “As Koromaru’s old armor is no longer comfortable or appropriate, but he does still enjoy wearing it. It will function as a gift for Ken-kun because the new shirt will have his contact information attached, as well as giving his old shirt a new lease on life, as it were.”
Fuuka giggles. “Aw, Kotone-san, that’s such a sweet gift! Are you going to sew it yourself?”
“Yep! I even found his old armor so I can transfer the wings over!”
Akihiko has to admit, it’s appropriately adorable and exactly the kind of bizarre gift Kotone would come up with. Well, maybe not bizarre, but he can’t imagine someone like Mitsuru coming up with it.
Speaking of, he retrieves the gifts mailed in from his bedroom. Minato and Aigis have started putting up a few streamers, in hopes of making a slightly more celebratory atmosphere. Fuuka is attempting to offer her assistance to Shinji, but even Koromaru seems hellbent on keeping her as far away from the kitchen as possible.
It’s not quite the same as when they all lived in the dorms together, but it’s close, and Akihiko is glad that nothing has really changed between them.
. . .
It’s about seven minutes to six when the doorknob jiggles. Ken walks in, eyes immediately drawn to the streamers before landing on the group congregated in the living room. “What-”
“Surprise! Happy birthday, Ken-kun!” Kotone yells, throwing confetti from her pocket. Koromaru barks and practically pounces on Ken.
“Ah, Kotone-san, everyone thank- is this my old hoodie?” Ken asks, pulling at the material enrobing Koromaru. “And it… you like it, don’t you, boy? Kotone-san, did you make this?” She nods in reply, smiling. “Thank you…”
“Don’t just stand in the doorway, Ken-kun. Come sit down and you can open the rest of your gifts,” Fuuka offers.
“Just don’t expect one from me. Dinner’s your gift,” Shinji says dryly, but he’s smiling. Akihiko also knows Ken is going to find some extra yen in his wallet tomorrow.
The presents from those currently there are opened first. Fuuka gives him a new CD. Ken bounces a bit when he reads the tracklist. “It has Light the Fire Up in the Night on it! I love that song!” He’s equally excited over Minato’s gift of various stim toys. There’s a squishy one, one that spins, and a clicky one that Ken immediately starts using. Minato smiles and they start signing so fast Akihiko can’t even attempt to translate.
It’s obvious what Aigis got him, but Ken still acts surprised as he unwraps the soccer ball. She says she’s pleased she bought a satisfactory gift and wrapped it well. Ken just nods, and Shinjiro snickers. Well, at least it wasn’t a weapon or something.
Akihiko does his best not to tense up when Ken grabs his gift. It’s not even the big gift, not really, but it still feels big. Kotone catches his eye and smiles. “Relax,” she mouths.
Easy for her to say. She’s relaxed about everything, it feels like. When she isn’t half bouncing off the walls from the sheer amount of energy packed into her tiny frame.
Ken opens the card. That’s all it is. It’s what Akihiko wrote on the card that’s important. And when Ken looks up with wide eyes and a huge smile, Aki knows he made the right choice in the gift. “Really?”
Akihiko nods. “Whenever you’re ready. You’re old enough now that it shouldn’t cause any lasting damage,” he says. “But we’re still gonna limit how much you wear it. It’s not good to wear one of those things for too long.”
“He would know,” Shinjiro offers, glaring at Akihiko. Akihiko glares back. Yeah, fine, he didn’t bind safely when he was Ken’s age. He also didn’t have a proper binder, just using the same bandages he used for boxing. It’s a wonder he doesn’t have more scars. Experience might be the best teacher, but he refuses to let Ken learn that way.
Ken sniffles, but his grin is wider than Tokyo Tower is tall. “Thank you so much, Akihiko-san. It means a lot to me.” Koromaru barks happily, and Ken slides off the couch to pet him. Minato sends him a thumbs up from across the room.
Shinjiro excuses himself to finish dinner, leaving Akihiko to supervise the mailed gifts. Ken starts with one postmarked from America- Junpei, then. Inside the sloppily wrapped package is a note, two packs of English Pokemon cards, and what feels like a metric ton of foreign candy. Koromaru seems far too interested in something called… Reese’s? Akihiko never really picked up on any English. Ken dumps it all back into the box, save for a pack of colorful, hard fruit candies. “Don’t want to spoil Shinjiro-san’s cooking,” he explains, setting the box where Koromaru can’t reach it.
Mitsuru’s gift is a video game that Akihiko is fairly certain hasn’t been released yet. He’s pretty sure she’d get Ken a console still in development if she could. He also doesn’t want to think about the possible legality of this. But Ken’s excited to play it, says he’s enjoyed earlier installments in the series, so it can’t be that bad.
But then he opens the present from Yukari, and… damn. Just because she works with the cast of Featherman R didn’t mean she had to go and get Ken a signed poster of his favorite ranger. But she did, and now Akihiko is wondering if the envelope will even compare. Ken is currently infodumping and discussing getting it framed. Fuuka giggles while Aigis listens with intensity. Even though he’s a teenager now, he’s still as excited as he ever was over the show.
Not long after, dinner is ready. True to his word, Shinji made omelettes, each filled with the favorites of the other guests. Fuuka’s is loaded with tomatoes and onions, Kotone and Minato have a healthy mix of bacon, broccoli, and mushrooms. Akihiko takes a bite of his and tastes just a hint of protein powder, and it’s enough that he could kiss Shinji right there. He refrains, however, for Ken’s sake.
He does feel bad when Aigis looks on fondly, even more so when Shinjiro retrieves the birthday cake. It’s chocolate, with a layer of strawberries sandwiched between, whipped cream frosting on top. But he also watches her absolutely smitten smile as Kotone takes a huge bite and sighs happily. “You haven’t lost your touch, Shinjiro-san,” she says happily.
“I would hope not, I work in a restaurant,” comes the dull reply. They all have a good laugh at that.
As soon as plates are clean, the guests shuffle out, offering their final birthday wishes to Ken. Ken thanks them all profusely, still a bit flushed, before locking the door. “You know, Kotone-san was right about that cake-”
“Alright, yeah, you can have another slice,” Akihiko interrupts, already grabbing a knife to serve them all again. He can worry about his diet in the morning; even Olympians have cheat days, and today is important. Besides, maybe the sugar high will keep him from worrying too much about the gift. He excuses himself, supposedly headed to the bathroom. Shinjiro sends him a knowing look.
. . .
“Thank you, Akihiko-san, Shinjiro-san,” Ken says politely, setting his plate down. The last remnants of cake dot his upper lip. Akihiko can see Koromaru licking his own chops at the sight. He motions to Ken and Ken quickly rubs his thumb across his mouth. “Right… I had a really good day. It means a lot to me. I know I said I didn’t want to do anything, but…”
“‘S not a problem,” Shinjiro says gruffly. “But we aren’t quite finished yet. Got one more gift for you.”
“It’s from both of us,” Akihiko says, pulling the envelope out and sliding it across the table to Ken. “And if you don’t want it, that’s fine. We’re just giving you the option.”
Ken’s brow furrows as he examines the envelope. Akihiko can practically see the cogs spin in his head. What could be inside? Money, a gift certificate? Koromaru nudges his thigh and he rips open the seal.
Inside, there’s a single sheet of paper on high-quality stock. There’s a logo representing the government, the names of the three humans sitting at the table, and-
The words legal guardians and custody jump out at him.
“It’s really just a formality,” Akihiko says quickly, attempting to fill the silence. “It won’t change anything about the situation, just make it official, as it were.”
Ken looks up at them, eyes wide. “You- you want to adopt me?”
Shinjiro snorts. “We’ve already adopted you, more or less. We’re asking if- fuck, I can’t do this. I’m not good with this kind of crap.” Akihiko gives his boyfriend a look that screams “and you think I am?”
Ken laughs into his hand, and keeps laughing until they devolve into sobs. Koromaru whines and places a paw on Ken’s lap. Both Akihiko and Shinjiro get up to comfort him, wrapping the younger boy in a hug. The sobs slowly subside. Ken looks at his guardians, tears still on his face, but he’s smiling wider than Akihiko has seen him do in years. “Does- does this mean I can call you my dads?”
Shinjiro makes a strangled noise at the back of his throat that Akihiko recognizes as his “oh my God how do I deal with positive emotions” sound. Akihiko isn’t faring much better; he’s nodding and pulling Ken as close as he can without yanking the younger boy off his chair. He’ll deny he’s crying until he dies. “Y-yeah. Yeah, you can call us your dads,” he croaks.
“Good,” Ken says quietly. “Because I’ve been calling you my dads in my head for a while.”
They migrate to the couch after that, even letting Koromaru sit up on it with them. They discuss some of the logistics of the whole ordeal- neither Akihiko nor Shinjiro are 21 yet. Shinjiro will be in August, so that’s when the adoption will go into effect. Mitsuru pulled some strings to get the documentation early, but it’s symbolic for the time being. Ken pouts a bit at that, fingers curling in Koromaru’s fur, but he doesn’t argue.
Akihiko mentions changing his last name, but Ken is understandably hesitant. “You’re my family, but… My name's one of the last things I have from her.” He doesn’t say who. It doesn’t stop Shinjiro’s shoulders from tensing. “I’ll consider it, but I doubt I’ll want to change it.”
The conversation shifts to happier topics after that. Ken plays some of his new video game, offering commentary to the other men. They all taste-test some of the candy Junpei sent. Eventually, Ken starts recapping the events of the movie he saw earlier, gesturing animatedly and playing with his new stim toy. It’s domestic. Almost frighteningly so.
And Akihiko loves every second of it.
Midway through a Featherman rerun, Ken dozes off. Shinjiro nudges him awake and tells him to go to bed. Maybe last birthday, Shinjiro would’ve carried him, but now Ken is all lanky limbs. Carrying him would probably result in someone crashing into a wall. Koromaru follows, presumably to break the rules and sleep in Ken’s bed with him. Akihiko lets him.
He goes to his own room as Shinjiro leaves, changing into his pajamas. Shinjiro walks in as he’s buttoning his sleep shirt. “You don’t gotta,” Shinji says, kissing the back of Akihiko’s neck.
“Pretty sure Ken would sic Kala-Nemi on us if we made a bunch of noise on his birthday,” Akihiko says dryly. He stops buttoning it anyway. “So, we did it. We’re parents. Almost.”
“I told you, nothing’s gonna change. We’re just… it’s all the same, really.” Shinjiro smiles as he sits down on the bed. “Just glad the kid had a good birthday.”
Akihiko smirks. “Oh, just wait till you see what I have planned for your birthday,” he teases.
Shinjiro rolls his eyes. “If you’re talking about the ring you’re hiding in the sock drawer-”
“Wait, wait- you- wha- how did you- Shinji!” Akihiko yelps, faceplanting onto the bed next to him.
“Tch, you really think I wouldn’t find it? I knew you were an idiot but this is a new low, even for you,” Shinjiro deadpans. But Aki can hear the smile, the affection under the words. Doesn’t stop him from grabbing a pillow and hitting Shinji in the face with it. He laughs, and Akihiko wonders if he’ll ever tire of hearing it. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll act surprised when you finally get the balls to do it.”
“Oh, screw you, Shinji.”
“That’s the goa- stop hitting me, asshole!”