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It had been 44 days since their daughter entered their married life. And it took exactly 44 days,19 hours, 13 minutes and 20 seconds for Akashi to realize that he had never been with his child without Kuroko.
It was Kuroko who cradled her to stop crying, it was Kuroko who cooed at her to smile, it was Kuroko who prepared the bottled milk.
Sure Akashi was there to ‘assist’ but it was Kuroko who was the base of it all.
So what was Akashi to do with their wailing daughter with Kuroko out of the house for an emergency at the kindergarten for the first time?
Kuroko hurriedly fixed the difficult decorations for the open day scheduled two days away. He was still on his three-months leave but he didn’t mind leaving the house even though it was way past their open time.
Akashi could handle a few hours on his own. Or so Kuroko thought.
When Kuroko’s phone rang, he didn’t expect it to be Akashi. Neither did he expect to hear their daughter’s cries in the background of Akashi’s wavering voice.
“She’s crying.”
Kuroko seriously felt lost at the statement, “Yes, I can hear that.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
If Kuroko was lost before, he was literally dumbfounded after the next statement by Akashi.
“She won’t stop.”
“Have you tried carrying her around? She likes that.” Kuroko starts as he adjusted the twirly ribbons on the entrance wall.
“What if I drop her?”
Come to think of it. Akashi had only held their daughter when he was sitting. He had never actually rocked her in his arms.
Kuroko wanted to facepalm himself so badly. The great emperor was afraid of his own child. How ironic.
“Listen, Akashi, I still have a little bit mor-“
“Can you come home?”
Kuroko sighed, “I’ll be home as soon as I can. Just make her a bottle of warm milk, make sure she burps afterwards and then rock her to sleep.”
“But-“
“Do it. I’ll be back before 10.”
Kuroko hung up, silent his phone and got back to working the decorations. Dear god, he hopes Akashi doesn’t screw up.
Akashi peeked over the bassinet where his daughter was still crying hideously.
“Okay okay, milk first.”
He went to the kitchen and opened the fridge to take out the milk. Kuroko said warm milk. That surely meant boiling it…right?
Akashi knew that microwaves were bad for babies so he opted to boil it over a small fire lit up on the stove. He tested the temperature every 1 minute and deemed it ready after 5 minutes. Akashi transferred the hot milk into the sterilized bottle Kuroko kept in the sterile machine. He shook the bottle and made his way to his daughter.
Mid way, he stopped. ‘What if it’s too hot for her tongue?’
The paranoia started getting to him. What does he do? Call Kuroko. Who evidently didn’t pick up any of Akashi’s call ever since the first one he had made earlier. Akashi squeezed the bottle and could feel its heat radiating. It was too hot for his own liking.
He left Kuroko a bunch of voicemails before he went back to the kitchen to think of a way to cool the milk. Unbeknownst to Akashi, as more time passed for him to find an alternative to cool the milk faster, the milk cooled itself off on the kitchen counter.
When his daughter’s cries escalated to desperate sobs and hoarse whimpers, Akashi decided to take a bold move and took a sip of the milk himself. He was surprised that it was a rather….nice heat on his tongue. Something that he believed would be good for his daughter.
Akashi came back to the bassinet in the living room and inhaled slowly. When his daughter saw him with milk, she almost cried at a lower volume.
Looking at the milk bottle, and then his daughter, Akashi gulped and raked his fingers through his fringe; pushing back his hair. He needed her head tilted slightly for optimum flow of fluid down her throat. And that meant carrying her at an angle. He sent Kuroko another voice message before he set the bottle down and reached his arms into the bassinet.
Kuroko was so tired when he was done. He was thanked by the female teachers who stayed behind to finish up their respective classes. Once he started walking back, he checked his phone.
‘22 new voicemails, 5 missed calls, 1 new message.’
Kuroko checked the voicemails first.
‘She’s still crying’
‘Is it normal for her face to be so red?’
‘How do we lower the fire on the stove again?’
‘It shouldn’t be boiling hot right?’
‘Wait I meant should.’
‘Now that I think of it, you said warm.’
‘Microwaving it is not option, don’t worry.’
‘Kuroko is the bottle sterile? The machine was turned off.’
‘Oh god I think the milk is too hot.’
‘What do I do to cool milk—‘
‘Kuroko do I put it back in the fridge? Is that an option?’
Kuroko literally started to walk faster with each voicemail. What the hell did Akashi do to their daughter?! But the next voicemail surprised the kindergarten teacher.
‘The milk is alright. I tasted it. I literally had it on my tongue.’
‘I’m about to lift her up now.’
Kuroko slowed down his hastened pace to listen.
‘She drank it so fast Kuroko’
‘I’m on the chair now so don’t worry, I won’t drop her.’
‘She burped twice.’
Kuroko laughed a little.
‘I never noticed how round her eyes are…’
‘She’s really beautiful…’
Oh how Kuroko could see the fond smile on Akashi’s softened face.
‘I think someone’s stomach is full and she’s sleepy.’
‘I didn’t drop her just now so I’m gonna try rocking her again.’
Kuroko was almost home when he played the final two voice messages.
‘She’s asleep now, Kuroko.’
‘Come home soon ok?’
And surely, when he stepped into the house, Akashi was looking over the bassinet with affection in his eyes just before those eyes eagerly met Kuroko’s.
“Welcome home.”
Kuroko smiled.
“I’m home.”