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It all started when Akashi’s secretary told him he wouldn’t have to deal with any sort of heavy workload for a couple days after weeks of working tirelessly. So, he took this chance to call a temporary leave for himself.
After all, how long has he been travelling from one town to another? Or those countless sleepless nights in his office? He thought that it was only appropriate for him to take this leave. Doesn’t he have a lover at home? He hasn’t even seen Tetsuya in nine, whole days!
His happiness radiated so much that he left his office with 190,000 yen to spend on whatever they would agree upon while he was out, so that they could treat themselves.The company admitted that it’s been quite a while since they’ve seen their charming CEO in such a good mood. Their eyes glittered at the funds they were left with.
“Have a good vacation, sir~!”
Now, he was inside his car, ready to exit the parking lot of the company building. His car had a slick appearance, obviously worth a lot of money. It was shiny with tinted windows. The fragrance of the car alone could slap thousands of faces with its “wealthy feel”. At least, that was how Kuroko put it.
Somehow, he found himself missing the scent of his home.
He gripped on the steering wheel, and hastily drove out the building. It was three hours past noon, and the day was still bright. He didn’t want to dive into a deck of plans and dates just yet, he wanted to envelope himself in the warmth of their home, with Kuroko by his side. Actually, all Akashi wanted right now was the other’s presence.
He suddenly remembered Murasakibara’s words from a coincidental meeting they had.
“Eh~ Aka-chin really loses his cool when it comes to Kuro-chin…”
“You think so? I’m sure I was better.”
“C’mon Aka-chiiiin, we’ve known each other for way too long to act oblivious~”
Akashi smirked to himself. “So I am like this, I suppose.”
Through his days in school, he was always known as someone classy, cool-headed, and confident. And he was, really. But it wasn’t until now that he’s felt such frenzy for another person.
Akashi drove his car into the parking lot of another building; it was a condominium situated at a higher place in Tokyo. This was where he and Kuroko permanently called home; it had exactly 60 floors. Their condo was on the 55th floor, since the place exclusively had an outdoor area that replicated a park.
He got out of his car and went to the elevator. With him, in his hands, was a bag that stored the blue-haired man’s favourite vanilla shortcake, and Akashi’s own favourite bottle of wine.
Once he reached the 55th floor, he began walking to the door of their home. Akashi couldn’t contain his growing smile. He hurriedly typed the passcode of their lock, and wondered how Kuroko would react or greet him. Would he run up to Akashi and give him a hug or would he be sitting in the living room reading a book, welcoming the redhead with softness in his voice?
He gripped and turned the door handle. When the door opened, he stepped inside immediately, not even bothering to take off his shoes.
“Tets-”
“A-Akashi!”
The redhead froze.
Huh.
Akashi widened his eyes, he had almost let go of the bag he was holding.
He looked up to meet Furihata in the eyes. He was sitting down on one of the stools for the kitchen island, Nigou’s head in both of his palms.
Akashi cleared his voice, putting his fist in front of his mouth.“Ah. Furihata, a pleasure.” He smiled in his usual manner.
Okay, he knew why Furihata was here. He occasionally came over to dogsit Nigou when neither he and Kuroko were around. Though the pomsky was perfectly trained to behave on his own, having Furihata over would keep him from being too lonely.
Wait. If Furihata was here, that meant—
“It’s been a while! Kuroko isn’t back from school yet. I’m sure he’d be happy to know you finally came home.” Furihata grinned. When he and Akashi first met on his highschool debut game, he couldn’t even get a word out coherently. But the man had been close with Kuroko, attending the same college even, so eventually, they all got along quite well.
Akashi blinked.
How in the world did he forget that Kuroko handled two time slots? He groaned internally. He glared at a small schedule posted near the door.
Tetsuya’s Schedule
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Class 5A)
1:50 PM - 4:50 PM (Class 5B)
What sort of kindergarten has regular 5 PM classes?! The redhead grumbled quietly. Should I tell Kuroko to move schools? Akashi brushed those thoughts out for now.
As Furihata stood up, Nigou followed, maybe to greet Akashi. The CEO made his way inside and placed the bag on the living room table. The brunette glanced at the items. His eyes dazzled in amazement.
”It seems like you finally got a break, hm?” Furihata grabbed his backpack from one of the chairs. “I should get going now then!”
Akashi plopped himself in the living room. Again, he gave a cool smile to Furihata. Nigou was lying down on his feet.
”Do you still have plans for the day?”
Furihata winked as he waved goodbye. “Yup…I got my waiter job later at six. Hope you and Kuroko have a fun time!”
After waving bye to Nigou too, he opened the door and left. Akashi heaved a sigh as he leaned back on the couch.
He glanced down at Nigou, and hummed quietly. He was definitely bigger than he was when Kuroko found him back in highschool, but was still way smaller than an average Husky, being a hybrid. He must be more on the Pomeranian side.
“Must’ve been nice having Tetsuya all to yourself for the past few days, hm?” He looked at his watch, it had just turned 3:45 PM. “Meanwhile I have to sit and wait. This isn’t acceptable.” The dog hollered a bark.
While sitting down, thinking aimlessly, an idea suddenly popped in his head. Akashi stood up and grabbed his coat and the keys. He pet Nigou on the head before leaving.
Most of the kindergarten staff were already familiar with the handsome, cool, young, and refreshing CEO Akashi Seijuurou— Kuroko Tetsuya-sensei’s good middle-school friend.
Well, not just good friends at least. Only Ms. Hina from the next classroom, the blue-haired man’s good colleague, knew of the true form of their companionship.
Akashi heard whispering by two female office workers as he passed through the hallway. Their cheeks were red as their voices remained hushed, almost in a questioning way. Akashi was used to it by now, working in an office himself. He paid no mind to it, as usual. He greeted them a good afternoon and continued to walk. Perhaps they weren’t used to having guests in the middle of school. But, they did say he was always welcome to drop by even when classes were underway, so he was doing no harm at all.
When he had reached the end of the hallway, around the two classrooms in front of the garden, he made eye-contact with Ms. Hina.
“Good afternoon Akashi-san, what a pleasant surprise! Are you here for Kuro-sensei?”
”Good afternoon to you too, Ms. Hina.” He bowed his head politely while portraying a kind face. “Yes, I couldn’t wait at home, I’m afraid.”
The woman chuckled, and walked back into her classroom. “I understand. It’s never a bother when you’re here.” She opened her door. “This will be your first visit while Kuro-sensei is clocked-in, right?”
”Correct.”
”Alright. Take care Akashi-san.” She shone a final grin and waved before closing the door.
Akashi went to the door with Kuroko’s name on it: Kuroko Tetsuya-sensei. Akashi smiled softly at the title. He thought Kuroko’s name paired well with honorific sensei. He was such a timid-presenced person, but his job suited him indeed.
Up against the door, he could hear the sound of children rambling and being, well… children. For some reason however, as he put his knuckles at the wooden door, the noise had lessened.
Before he could even knock, the door opened before him, luckily he was standing to the right, or his shoulder might’ve been hit.
The person who had opened the door for him was the very person he was looking for. The teacher was slightly bent down as his hand stretched out on the plane of the door. His lover’s eyes were wide open, obviously caught off guard by Akashi’s sudden visit. Right, the redhead wanted to surprise him.
”Seijuurou-kun..?”
Akashi could hear whispering behind Kuroko, most likely his students wondering who their teacher had opened the door for.
”Surprise, Tetsuya-sensei.” He grinned.
The whispering got louder at that. Kuroko and his students must’ve seen him approaching through the window. No wonder they went quiet for a brief moment. Well, so much for a better surprise, he supposed.
“Who is that guy!? He just called Kuroko-sensei by his first name!!!”
“Sensei, who is that person?!”
“The person Sensei’s talking to has a nice voice…”
”Is that man a new sensei??”
“Well? Were you surprised?” Akashi mused. He held the door still. Kuroko fixed his posture, but his eyes were still wide. They stayed stuck in the same position.
“Seijuurou-kun, I missed you— it’s been so long—“
Akashi hurriedly pulled Kuroko out of the classroom and closed the door shut, leaving his students sounding confused. The redhead then pulled the teacher into a tight hug, his neck bending down to lay his head on the blue-haired man’s shoulder. He felt Kuroko’s hands on his back. The students couldn’t see them though, as they hugged near the wall next to the door.
Their height in highschool had been really closed numbers. Akashi was only five centimetres higher at that time, but now that they were older, their gap had become eight centimetres.
“I missed you too, Tetsuya.”
“Seijuurou-kun…”
The redhead closed his eyes. Kuroko’s body warmth enveloped Akashi’s cold self. It’s been a bit long for his liking since they last held each other.
“I was ready to spend the rest of the day at home with you, only to come home to Furihata…”
“Have you forgotten my schedule? Sorry you had to come here Seijuurou-kun.”
Akashi looked up to Kuroko. With closed eyes, he pecks the other’s forehead.
“No. Seeing you far outweighs everything.”
Kuroko’s ears turned slightly red. Akashi chuckled.
“I see…”
Akashi and Tetsuya eventually pulled out of their long embrace, since they were only good friends at Kuroko’s kindergarten.
Kuroko began fixing his apron. Now that the CEO thought of it, this was the first time he saw his lover in his work attire. Kuroko always removed the apron whenever Akashi had a chance to pick him up. He looks cute.
Kuroko turned the door knob without opening the door, the kids still stood curiously waiting. He took Akashi’s hand, as if leading him inside.
”Tetsuya?” He questioned.
“What did Seijuurou-kun think was gonna happen if he came to finally visit during class? Come on, kids love guests.” Tetsuya chuckled softly. “Let’s talk more inside.”
Akashi looked at him before smirking. He placed a kiss on the hand that was holding onto him.
“Then, I’m pleased to be in your care, Tetsuya-sensei.”
When they entered the classroom, finally, Akashi felt the dozens of eyes glued upon him. He couldn’t really tell what these kids were thinking, which he found slightly uncomfortable. Kuroko had already let go of his hand at this point.
”Everyone! This is my close friend, Akashi Seijuurou-san.” Kuroko gestured his hands to Akashi, who simply smiled in place, despite being slightly startled by the change of honorifics. “He’ll be our special guest for the rest of the day.”
Kuroko looked at him, signalling him to say something. The redhead cleared his voice.
“Good afternoon everyone. A pleasure to meet you all.”
At this point, his cool demeanour was shining quite bright. The students seemed to be struck with great wonder, they were shying away even.
Kuroko, noticing the silence, eyed Akashi while smiling. “So everyone doesn’t get too shy, why doesn’t Akashi-san tell us about him?”
The redhead nodded. He put his hands in his pockets. “I’m 25 years old. My favourite food is tofu soup. I also like horse-riding and shogi. My job includes analy-“ Akashi paused himself, making sure to explain at a child’s level. He continued: “My job is to sit in an office and do a lot of thinking and paperwork.”
The kids began gasping in amazement.
“I’ve also known Tetsuya-sensei for 13 years. We’ve been excellent friends within that time.”
“Wah!! They’ve been best friends longer than how long mama and papa have been married..!”
“13 years!? That’s like a lifetime!!”
Kuroko clapped his hands and the students let out sounds of excitement and awe. “Thank you very much Akashi-san—“
Akashi faced Kuroko after interrupting him. He smiled in the most refreshing manner he has today. “Please Tetsuya-sensei, aren’t we great, great friends? Call me by my first name.”
“Well-“
Suddenly, a small boy stood up. “T-That’s right Kuroko-sensei!!! If you guys were really friends for 13 years, t-then you should be on a first name basis..! B-Besides, he calls you by your first name!”
“Right!!” Another kid exclaimed.
Akashi looked at the boy, before chuckling. “See, sensei? Even your students agree.” He made eye contact with the child and put on a soft expression. “Thank you for speaking up, Tetsuya-sensei has a hard head sometimes.”
The kids began whispering and giggling, perhaps not used to their teacher being told off by another person. The boy sat back down on the carpet with flushed cheeks.
Kuroko sighed. “Things always go your way it seems, Seijuurou-san. You have no trouble getting into the kids’ hearts at all.”
Akashi got closer to the teacher, as he leaned slightly on the Kuroko’s desk behind them. “You think? Oh, and please drop that honorific, you remind me of my secretary. I’m not a fan of Tetsuya calling me that.”
“Honestly…”
As expected, the charming Akashi Seijuurou got through to the kids almost immediately. Akashi knelt down on the carpet as most of the children started surrounding him and Kuroko. They spent most of the time talking.
“Kuro-sensei!! he's so ikemen!”
“He might be more ikemen than sensei after all..!”
“Akashi-san has a horse… He must be super duper rich..!”
“A new rival just e-emerged… He’s like Tooru grown up..!!!”
Kuroko bent down to Akashi, whispering delightly. “You’re like a shoujo lead in their eyes, Seijuurou-kun.”
”Is that so?” Akashi chuckled. More kids began surrounding him.
Amidst answering the number of questions from the star-struck kids, the redhead caught a glimpse of another kid sitting quietly in the back of the room, seated at the children’s table doing a Rubik’s cube puzzle. Akashi almost saw his younger self in that child.
He raised his head to Kuroko and tilted it in the direction of the child. “Who is that over there?”
The teacher hummed. ”Ah. That’s Tooru-kun.” He put his fist to his mouth. “He’s quite smart and reserved for his age, and really popular with the kids. But he likes being alone a lot.”
“You can try talking to him.” Kuroko smiled sheepishly. “His looks first reminded me of Kise-kun, but he’s much more similar to you.”
The blue-haired man straightened up from his position. “Alright everyone, it’s snacks break. Please get ready to eat.”
“Okay sensei~!”
”Will Akashi-san eat with us??”
“I got dinosaur nuggets for snacks today!!!”
When Akashi also stood up, suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
“Vanilla milkshake for Kuroko-sensei!”
When Kuroko went to his desk to place the shake on the surface, Akashi frowned. He pointed at the drink. “Tetsuya, haven’t I told you to stop drinking these everyday?”
You’d think Akashi has been successful in trying to stop Kuroko from his vanilla milkshake diets, but it’s been a constant struggle since middle-school.
“Sorry Seijuurou-kun. It’s just today, I promise.” Kuroko cleared his throat. “The principal is pretty laid back. She treats the entire staff every once in a while even during working hours.”
The winking face of that woman came into Akashi’s mind. Besides Ms. Hina, there was also Mrs. Haruka, who knew about their relationship.
“I promise I’ll keep it a secret~”
Out of nowhere, a small boy tugged on Kuroko’s apron. Surprisingly, when Akashi looked down to see who it was, it was the boy he had taken a glance at moments ago: Tooru-kun.
”It’s time to eat, Tetsuya-sensei…”
Akashi raised his brow slightly. Tetsuya-sensei?
Kuroko lowered his head to the boy and brushed his hair. “Right, let’s go.” He grinned. “Seijuuro-kun, come sit with us.”
Akashi smiled and nodded. “Alright.”
Kuroko nor Akashi were barely able to sit on the children’s chairs; their knees were almost up to their faces. As Kuroko sipped on his milkshake (and Akashi having a small sip also), the redhead began detailing the moments they weren’t together. The blue-haired man also told some stories from his side of the days.
Kuroko struck conversations with Tooru too, the quiet child, who was timidly eating his sandwich. Akashi quickly understood that this kid was close to Kuroko.
“Were you able to solve the Rubik’s cube I gave you, Tooru-kun?”
“Yes. It was a bit fun, I admit.”
“That’s impressive. Personally, I might’ve taken longer.” Kuroko remarked. “Oh, Seijuurou-kun here is also good at solving them-“
Suddenly, a loud cry emerged behind them, from the separate children’s table, where most of the other kids were.
“Sensei!! Aki-tan stole one of my dino nuggets!”
“I-I didn’t..! You made them go flying everywhere!!!!”
Kuroko stood up. “Excuse me for a while.” He turned his head and began walking in their direction, “Guys, don’t fight…”
With the teacher gone, it was just that kid and Akashi left on the ridiculously small table.
Akashi rested his head on his palm, looking at the boy who was quietly eating his sandwich. His eyes were observing him head to toe. The child had short bangs, and his eyes were large, yet frigid. Before he could open his own mouth, Tooru looked up to meet him in the eyes.
”Akashi-san, right?”
The redhead smiled. “Correct, and it’s Tooru-kun, correct?”
The kid nodded and took another bite out of his sandwich. “How fast could you solve a Rubik’s cube?”
Akashi blinked again. How straightforward, he thought, but answered honestly.
“My time averages at around three seconds.”
If people knew Akashi, it wouldn't even come as a surprise anymore. Now that he thought of it, he was also five years old when began mastering the puzzle.
Tooru stopped biting into his sandwich, shocked. But chose to remain calm.
”I solved it in under two minutes. But I’m only five.” The kid replied, and then proceeded to take another bite into his sandwich.
Oh?
The redhead continued to smile, but was surprised inside. It was an amazing time, he didn’t deny that. But— Is he competing?
Akashi continued to smile earnestly. ”Impressive indeed. Tetsuya was right; you do remind me of my younger self.”
The child lowered his head.
“Then Akashi-san must’ve been tired all his life.” Tooru murmured in a hushed tone.
…
The smile on the CEO had faltered slightly. This child was most probably experiencing the same upbringing as him. After all, no child’s eyes should be like that at this age.
Akashi hummed while looking at Tooru as he continued eating. “So I have.”
The only son of Akashi Masaomi reminisced about his days in the house of his father. He recalled the numerous faces of his countless tutors. The long, cold, dining table filled with food prepared by another man. And the times when he would be lying in bed trying his best to remember his mother’s warm smile.
Breaking from his train of thoughts, he glanced at Kuroko behind them, who was still dealing with the quarrelling kids. He smiled softly with his eyes closed.
“But,” Akashi looked at the child with gentle eyes. “I suppose that’s why it’s important to cherish every moment with the people you love.”
“After all, if everything begins to feel bleak, you can count on them to remind you to live better.”
And lastly, Akashi recalled the moment his team had lost to Seirin in his first year of highschool. His very second loss, second to his mother. As tears overflowed, his hands were held by the warmth of another pair of hands.
The child kept staring at Akashi, as if he had said something weird just then. Akashi tilted his head with a small grin. “So? How’s that?”
Tooru’s small lips twitched, which slowly turned into a smile. His face shone with a happy expression to the redhead.
“It’s good. Thank you, Akashi-san.”
He crumpled up the paper towel that was used to wrap his sandwich, and grinned. “The person I love the most is Tetsuya-sensei. Starting now, I'll do my best.”
The CEO’s eyes widened, but then he chuckled. He knew children often saw their teachers as parental figures. “It seems Tetsuya has become a father-figure of some sort, hm?”
“Eh? Not a father-figure.” Tooru raised his hand. His eyes glimmered innocently.
“When I’m as tall as Akashi-san— No, when I turn 18, I’m going to marry Tetsuya-sensei.”
“Hm?”
What.
Akashi’s head almost fell to the table with how heavy it suddenly became. Marry? Did children usually want to marry their teachers? He’s had girl classmates express interest in some of his past male teachers, but he didn’t expect such behaviour from a child.
Relax Seijuurou, he’s a kid. The gravity of the meaning behind their words still hasn't reached their tiny heads. It wasn’t that deep. But, was he supposed to say ‘isn’t that nice’? Or something like ‘how cute’?
Sorry, it didn’t seem like his style. No matter how he looked at it.
”I’m sorry to say Tooru-kun,” He smiled. “But Tetsuya has already been dating someone for six years. I’m afraid you’ve lost.”
The child grumbled. “So? They aren’t married. I won’t give up.”
This kid!
“That person doesn’t like to lose.” Akashi’s eyes glinted with lightning.
Tooru’s fists banged on the table. “I don’t like to lose either.”
”Defeat is inevitable for you-“
Kuroko bent down between the two’s heads. “I’m back.”
”Tetsuya-sensei.”
“Tetsuya.”
They spoke at the same time. The two glared at each other.
“Sensei,” Tooru smiled innocently at his teacher, as if he wasn’t just talking about marrying him in an awfully concerning, serious tone. “Is it true that you’re dating someone?”
Kuroko blinked. He turned his head to his lover.
Did you say something?
Akashi sighed. I just answered honestly.
“Uh-“
“Eh?!?! Kuro-sensei is dating someone?!”
“What!? No!! Sensei is ours!!!”
Almost immediately was their small children’s table surrounded by all the other kids in the class, curious about hearing their teacher seeing someone.
The blue-haired man’s sweat rolled down his forehead. “E-Everyone, calm down…”
“Does Kuroko-sensei go on a lot of dates???”
“Is it Hina-sensei?!! Kuroko-sensei, who is it!?”
“Uhm, well-“ He tried to calm down the kids but their questions began increasing in number. Kuroko glared at Akashi, pouting. The redhead shrugged his shoulders.
Kuroko straightened up, smiling awkwardly. “Yes, I am dating someone.”
“No!!!”
“So we aren’t sensei’s number one!?”
The blue-haired man chuckled, kneeling down to hug the kids who came running to him. “Don’t worry, everyone here is my number one.”
The CEO crossed his legs on the tiny chair, his elbow resting on his knee. He whistled a tune while looking away from Kuroko.
As Tooru looked at them, however, he smirked once more before tilting his head. “Then… does this person plan on marrying Tetsuya-sensei?”
Akashi put down his leg. As if he was about to activate the zone.
Kuroko put a hand in front of his face, attempting to cover his cheeks that were slowly turning pink. “Uhm..”
Not being able to take it anymore, Akashi abruptly got up from his chair. He rushed to where Kuroko was kneeling and grabbed the man’s right hand, raising it up in front of the kids.
“Seijuurou-kun wha-“
The teacher’s ring finger caught the eye of the audience of children almost immediately. None of them actually ever noticed the ring that Kuroko wore almost everyday.
“…A ring..!!?!”
“Kuro-sensei is married!!!”
In truth, it wasn’t a marriage ring; it was a promise ring that Akashi bought on their fourth anniversary, but it should fool the kids for now. The design of their rings weren’t completely identical, but complemented each other instead. They were two-toned. Kuroko’s ring was silver on the outer rim, but gold on the inner rim. While Akashi’s was the opposite.
As Kuroko merely laughed at the children, comforting them even, the redhead glanced at Tooru, who was seated next to him pouting. Smiling, he patted the boy on the head.
“I told you you’d lose.”
Turning his head away, the child grumbled. “Akashi-san is actually mean.”
The CEO glanced back at his lover. They made eye-contact. Akashi smirked at Kuroko as the other man only sighed.
On the drive back home, Akashi Seijuurou was mildly scolded by his lover, Kuroko Tetsuya-sensei. Luckily, Tetsuya-sensei was weak for the redhead anyway.
5:20 PM
When the both of them stepped into their home, they both immediately got to the showers. After taking a bath, they settled in the living room.
As Kuroko was reading a novel on the couch, Akashi went to the kitchen and grabbed the vanilla shortcake from the fridge. He placed it on a tray and placed two wine glasses, along with the wine itself.
Bringing the tray, he plopped it on the coffee table and sat next to Kuroko. The blue-haired man hid his book to look at what Akashi brought.
“Did you buy this Seiijuurou-kun?”
Akashi leaned on Kuroko’s shoulder. “I did. Like I said, I was looking forward to spending time with you.”
Kuroko chuckled and moved Akashi’s bangs up; he brushed his fingers along the other’s hair. The teacher thought to himself that his lover’s hair had gotten longer.
”I see. Thank you Akashi-kun.” Kuroko smiled. “By the way, I bought a movie yesterday. Should we watch it while eating? It’s by your favourite director.”
”Ah, yes. The Morning Tide, correct? I would love that. Thank you, love.”
“Then we shall.”
Akashi hummed. He grabbed Kuroko’s right hand, like he did a while ago at the kindergarten. He stared at the ring on his finger.
”Tetsuya,” He murmured. “I want to marry you, even though we can’t.”
He straightened up and leaned forward, looking at Kuroko. “How about you?”
Kuroko blinked, and continued to grin softly. He sighed.
“Of course I want to marry you. But even if we can’t,” The blue-haired man closed his eyes.
“—I’d only want to spend the rest of my life with Seijuurou-kun. No one else, and not ever by myself.”
Upon hearing that, Akashi smiled gently to himself, the corner of his eyes wrinkling. Without second thought, he placed his lips on Kuroko’s. It was a soft yet loving kiss. They both had beautiful expressions on their faces at that moment.
”Then again, I’m in your care, Tetsuya.”
“And so am I, Seijuurou-kun.”