Brothers

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/27186541.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: Other
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Relationship: Kuroko - Relationship
Character: Kuroko Tetsuya, Akashi Seijuurou, Midorima Shintarou, Kise Ryouta,
Aomine Daiki, Murasakibara Atsushi, Mayuzumi Chihiro
Additional Tags: Everyone Loves Kuroko Tetsuya, Protective Akashi Seijuurou,
Mayuzumi is out to get Kuroko, Akashi is bad at decisions
Language: English
Series: Part 2 of Home Trilogy
Stats: Published: 2020-10-25 Words: 16,083 Chapters: 17/17

Brothers
by enigmatic_erratum

Summary

Seijuro Akashi has had fits of anger towards people and things, especially to those who
disobey his command. He was absolute as well as his orders and no one has the right to
defile him. But will he still be able to say that he is absolute when his brother-- the family
member he now treasured the most-- starts slipping away from him? Will the family he
ever dream of still be complete?

Notes

See the end of the work for notes

 Prologue

A heavy feeling in his chest woke Akashi up and his eyes immediately squinted at the sunlight that
managed to pass through the bare spaces his thick curtains had. He wasn't a morning person and he
proved to be cranky in the past few minutes of waking up too early in the morning.

The heavy feeling in his chest moved and Akashi found himself staring into a pair of baby blue
eyes that belonged to his five-year-old half brother, Tetsuya, who was now living under the same
roof as Akashi and the rest of his friends.

Tetsuya smiled at him. "Nii-chan," he greeted.

"Tetsuya, it's still too early," Akashi said as he sat up with a grunt and allowed Tetsuya to sit in
between his legs.

"Actually, it's already eight in the morning and Tetsu has been standing by your door for almost
half an hour before I let him in," A voice said from the doorway and Akashi saw his police friend,
Aomine, with his arms crossed as he leaned over the door frame. "Seriously, how long did you plan
to sleep?"

"I slept late last night because of work," Akashi answered, ruffling Tetsuya's hair. "Thank you for
sleeping with him, by the way,"

Aomine smirked. "It's not like I don't like sleeping with him," he said, "Ever since Tetsu started
smiling and talking you've started to claim him and robbed us the opportunity to sleep with him
like before,"

Akashi chuckled. "As long as Tetsuya doesn't complain about him sleeping with me, then I guess
it's fine, Daiki," he said,

Aomine frowned. "But he never complains if it's you,"

Akashi smirked. "Exactly," he said, "Tetsuya is my brother, and I won't let anyone take him away
from me. I won't lose him again,"

"No need to go overboard," Aomine said but smiled at Akashi's words. Ever since Tetsuya arrived
at their home, everyone drastically changed for the better and for the welfare of the cyan-haired
toddler.
 Breakfast

"Ohayo, Tetsuya-cchi!" Ryota's ever-so-annoying tone welcomed Akashi and Tetsuya as they
entered the dining area to join the others for breakfast.

"I honestly wish you have a flight and not come back for at least a week," Aomine muttered as he
pulled a chair beside Kise.

"Mooo! Aomine-cchi's so mean today!" Kise whined.

"I agree," Akashi said, placing Kuroko in his chair where two pillows were placed so he will be
able to reach the table.

"See?! Even Akashi-cchi agrees!"

"I didn't say I agree with you, Ryota," Akashi said, making Kise whine and Aomine chuckle.

"Tetsuya, eat up," Akashi said as he scooped up a small amount of food and raised it to Tetsuya's
mouth who ate it gleefully. However, after he consumed half of his food, Tetsuya had pushed his
plate away from him-- an indication that he was already full.

"Ne, Tetsuya-cchi, you should finish your food," Kise said when he noticed the small amount of
what Tetsuya just consumed.

Tetsuya shook his head as he closed his eyes and clasped his hands over his mouth, making the
three older males smile. He acted the same way when Murasakibara once made him eat vegetables
and was successful in doing it after promising to share his snacks with Tetsuya.

"Ne, if Murasakibara-cchi finds out you didn't finish your food, he won't give you snacks
anymore," Kise said, attempting to do the same bribe Murasakibara did.

However, it only made matters worse as upon hearing of the absence of snacks, tears filled
Tetsuya's eyes and threatened to fall, making the blonde panic.

"E-eh?! I was kidding Tetsuya-cchi!" Kise said nervously when Akashi and Aomine glared at him
for making Tetsuya cry. "Y-you'll get your snack! I-I'll even buy you more! Don't cry!"

Akashi sighed then ruffled Tetsuya's hair. "Don't listen to Ryota," he said gently as Tetsuya sniffed.
"Atsushi will always share his snacks with you because you're a good boy, Tetsuya,"

Pouting, Tetsuya nodded.

"However," Akashi said, "He's still right about how you should finish your food. It's not good to
have leftovers,"

Tetsuya's weak appetite became a bother to the five tenants of the mansion as they've only seen
Tetsuya finish his food at that time when Murasakibara promised his share of the purple head's
snacks. Considering the lifestyle he had for the past four years, it was understandable for Tetsuya
to not have a bigger appetite like the normal kids since he underwent physical and emotional abuse
from his mother and was still in the process of recovering.

This, however, left a pang in their chests to see how slow Tetsuya was recovering a proof that the
abuses the toddler suffered was worse than they thought and the trauma might still linger on him
until he reaches adulthood-- a thing Akashi dreaded. He couldn't bear imagine little Tetsuya shying
away from the crowd or even start being afraid of people because of what he went through and
they all silently agreed to do everything in their willpower to help Tetsuya recover for him to live a
normal life.

"Let's not force him, Akashi," Aomine said when he detected the sadness from the toddler. "He's
eaten more than what he ate yesterday and I think that's enough progress for the day,"

Akashi frowned but nodded. He knew that they all had to take slow steps for Tetsuya and even
though they would go slower, they were all willing to wait for the day that their cyan-haired
toddler would fully recover.

Akashi's phone vibrated as he received a call from the office. He excused himself and left to answer
the call, Tetsuya following him through eyesight with a sad frown.

"Don't be sad, Tetsu," Aomine said with a grin as he ruffled the toddler's soft hair. "Kise and I are
still here to play with you. Want to play basketball?"

But Tetsuya was just pouting and looked at the doorway where Akashi disappeared to.

"Ne, Tetsuya-cchi," Kise called. "How about we go to the park today?"

That caught Tetsuya's attention. He had only been to the park once with the other five older males
and had enjoyed his stay with a promise that they come back again. However, since they had
careers and were too busy they haven't been able to come back to the park and Tetsuya had been
itching to go.

"Oh, that caught his attention," Aomine said with a smirk. "Then it's decided then, we'll go to the
park today,"

Akashi came back after his call and Tetsuya jumped out of his seat and ran to him with a smile.
"Nii-chan," he called with enthusiasm, "Park,"

Akashi smiled and ruffled Tetsuya's hair. He then glanced at Aomine and Kise who immediately
knew the message he was trying to give them.

"N-ne, Tetsuya-cchi," Kise said as he picked the toddler up in his arm and displayed a smile at him.
"Let's go and get ready for the park,"

Excited, Tetsuya nodded with a smile, forgetting all about Akashi as he came with Kise to get
ready for their stroll at the park.

"Work?" Aomine asked as he stood up from his seat and started cleaning up after them.

"Just a meeting," Akashi answered. "But I'm needed,"

"Of course you are. You aren't the president of your company for nothing," Aomine said with a
chuckle. "Go on, we'll keep Tetsu distracted,"

Akashi nodded his thanks and prepared for work with a sigh. Tetsuya was just as clingy as Akashi
and never wanted Akashi out of his sight and it made the redhead feel guilty for not being with
Tetsuya today when he promised yesterday that he'll spend time with Tetsuya for the rest of the
day.

Clearly, someone will be fired from the company for disrupting the day he planned to spend with
his brother.
 Park

As usual, on a sunny day, the park was full of families that decided to roam around on a nice
Saturday morning with kids running around the grassy field and couples sitting under the trees
while having romantic picnics.

"What a great day to be at the park," Kise said with a smile as he, Aomine, and Tetsuya took a
stroll. Tetsuya held Aomine's hand and looked around the people that swarmed the park.

"It's a shame the others were unable to come, though," Kise said.

"Well, it is the time of the year where people go to hospitals so Midorima would surely be working
his ass off at the hospital," Aomine said, "And Murasakibara is always busy at the restaurant,
especially since summer vacation is nearing and his restaurant is a tourist spot,"

"But Tetsuya-cchi seems like he'll be enjoying today despite us being incomplete," Kise said with a
smile as he eyed Tetsuya who was trying hard not to let go of Aomine's hand despite his
excitement to go to the playground.

Their last visit was somewhat a disaster and stressful because Tetsuya had a habit of getting lost
and they spent half the day trying to find him only to spot him dozing off under a tree for an
afternoon nap he was used to doing every day. This resulted in Akashi scolding him for the first
time and made him promise to never let go of anyone's hand especially when they're in a public
place. With tears threatening to fall, Tetsuya promised and had been keeping his end of the deal
ever since.

Aomine chuckled. "Alright, Tetsu, no need to hurry," he said as they picked up their pace to get to
the playground. Once there, Aomine let go of Tetsuya and told him to play with other kids.

At his age, interaction with kids his age was a very important thing and as much as Akashi wanted
his little brother cooped up in the mansion with him and the other four older men as his
companion, they still couldn't ignore the fact that Tetsuya was too young and needed kids his age
to be able to function properly once he grows up. Takao, Tetsuya's pediatrician, also told him that
interaction with other people would help him move on from his past faster.

"Oy," Aomine said as he sat on the bench near the playground with a sports drink in his hand as he
glared at Kise nearby. "We're supposed to look after Tetsu, not try and find dates,"

The blonde pilot had been the apple of the eye of single ladies that roamed around the park and had
been flirting with them for quite some time while Aomine was left to babysit Tetsuya.

"I wasn't flirting!" Kise said, his cheeks tinged with pink. "I... I was just--"

"Akashi will be furious if we lose Tetsuya today," Aomine said, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
"You know how that red-haired demon's possessive of his baby brother,"

"That's a bit harsh, Aomine-cchi," Kise said as he scratched his nape and sat down next to him.
"Besides, Tetsuya-cchi promised, didn't he? I doubt he'd get lost again,"

After a few moments, Tetsuya ran back to them covered in sweat and sand from playing too long in
the sandbox, his skin was pink and Aomine could tell he's had a slight sunburn. "Uh-oh," Aomine
said as he knelt in front of Tetsuya who was smiling up at him despite his sunburns.
"Akashi-cchi is going to kill us," Kise said, dread in his voice.

Tetsuya, not having a clue about the dread his babysitters had, looked around and spotted an ice
cream cart nearby. He grabbed Aomine's fingers and tugged. "Mi-chan," he called and pointed at
the ice cream cart.

"You want ice cream, Tetsu?" Aomine asked.

Tetsuya nodded and continued to tug on Aomine, making him follow the toddler to the ice cream
cart.

"Ne, Aomine-cchi, is it alright for us to buy Tetsuya-cchi ice cream after he spends the whole day
under the sun?" Kise asked worriedly.

"Of course," Aomine said, "Ice creams are natural at these times of the year,"

He buys a vanilla ice cream and handed it to Tetsuya who gleefully ate while he held Aomine's
hand.

"Come on, buy yourself one and let's try and find shade," Aomine said as he scooped Tetsuya up in
his arms and left Kise standing by the ice cream cart.

"Moo! Aomine-cchi! Wait up! Kise said then quickly bought himself an ice cream and ran after the
two.

They sat under the shade of a big tree while Tetsuya finished his ice cream. The toddler, however,
made a mess while finishing it-- Kise was glad it was vanilla flavor rather than chocolate because
Tetsuya managed to get some on his shorts and shoes as well.

"Geez, Tetsu," Aomine said as Kise wiped Tetsuya clean. "You just licked that ice cream, how did
you manage to get some on your shoes?"

Tetsuya cocked his head in confusion.

"Kids are a mystery," Kise said with a chuckle. "There, all clean,"

"What do you want to do next, Tetsu?" Aomine asked.

Tetsuya scanned the park and spotted a fountain where kids ran around and avoided getting wet
from the water that shot from underground.

"Oh, that looks fun," Aomine said with a grin and stood up from his seat.

"W-wait, Aomine-cchi! You're not seriously going to let Tetsuya-cchi go there? What if he gets
wet?" Kise asked.

"The mansion's a few miles from here, he won't get that cold easily," Aomine said, "Besides, you
have a spare shirt packed, right?"

Kise hesitated. "Y-yes, but--"

"Come on," Aomine said, "I did this a hundred times as a child and it's more fun if you get wet.
Come on, Tetsu!"

They spent the rest of their stay at the fountain with Aomine and Tetsuya playing and avoiding the
water-- Tetsuya failed a few times after running towards the holes that were programmed to shoot
in perfect timing. By the time they got home, Tetsuya was so exhausted and had dozed off in
Aomine's arms.
 Longing

Akashi sighed and rubbed his temples as he looked at the stacks of papers that sat at the side of his
desk. He closed his eyes for a while then glanced at the clock, it was now nine in the evening and
he was sure Tetsuya was already asleep in one of his friends' rooms right now.

He felt bad for leaving his baby brother behind to go to work, but he was needed at the office and
he couldn't say no since it was a meeting with the board members to discuss business. Besides, he
was sure that Tetsuya was enjoying his time at the park with Aomine and Kise after Kise sent him
a picture of Tetsuya and Aomine playing by the fountain with wide smiles on their faces and
Akashi felt jealous of the fun both of his friends had with his own brother.

He was cut off from his thoughts when his phone vibrated against the table after receiving a call
from Murasakibara. He thought that it was strange since Murasakibara hardly ever calls him,
especially not at this time when he knew Akashi was still at work-- he likes to avoid his death that
way.

"Atsushi," Akashi said with a sigh as he answered the call. Immediately, he heard Tetsuya crying
in the background and his heart almost stopped. "What's going on?"

"Akashi," It was Midorima who answered him. "How fast can you come home?"

He didn't need to be told twice as Akashi immediately leaped to his feet and got his things. He
cursed at himself for staying at work for too long. He hated it when Tetsuya cried, it always
reminded him of that time when Tetsuya ran away after showing Akashi a face full of fear and tears
and after that incident, Akashi swore to do his best to make Tetsuya happy.

He arrived at the mansion in a fast blur and was glad that it was already late at night that he didn't
meet traffic on the road. He ran inside and bolted upstairs where Tetsuya's cries were coming from.
From there, he saw Aomine and Kise outside his room and looked worriedly inside.

"Daiki, Ryota," Akashi called, a pang on his chest when he heard his little brother's cries.

"Akashi-cchi!" Kise said, "We're sorry, this is all our fault,"

"What is?" Akashi asked as he rushed inside his room to find Tetsuya in Murasakibara's arms while
Midorima soothed aloe vera over his raw skin.

"Aka-cchin," Murasakibara greeted while he tried to keep Tetsuya from fidgeting as Midorima
applied the cream on him. "Tetsu-chin had a sunburn,"

"He must've stayed too long under the sun," Midorima said, "And his fever's not helping him feel
better as well,"

Tetsuya had his eyes shut as tears trickled down his face, his nose, cheeks, and arms were tinged
painfully pink from the sunburn and his voice sounded hoarse from crying too much.

"There, there, Tetsu-chin," Murasakibara said as he gently pats Tetsuya's hair with his usually lazy
smile. "It won't hurt anymore,"

Akashi dropped his suitcase and rushed to them and knelt in front of Tetsuya and Murasakibara.
"Tetsuya, nii-chan is home now," he said gently. "Here, let me take the pain away,"
But the toddler shook his head and sniffed as he clung to Murasakibara who looked just as
surprised as Akashi. Was Tetsuya mad at him?

Midorima put a hand on Akashi's shoulder. "He must've been upset when he woke up from his nap
and didn't see you by his side," he said, "When they came home he was frantically looking for
you,"

"Why didn't you call me sooner? I could've rushed home if I knew Tetsuya was looking for me!"
Akashi snapped at Midorima. But the moment he did so, he was caught up and his expressions
softened. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's alright," Midorima said.

"We're really sorry, Akashi-cchi," Kise said from the door frame. "We didn't know Tetsuya-cchi
would get sick from playing outside,"

Akashi sighed and looked tired. "It's fine," he said then looked at Tetsuya who had just started
dozing off in Murasakibara's arms.

"Ne, Aka-chin, you can have him now," Murasakibara said, "I doubt he'll wake up,"

"No," Akashi said, "If he wakes up in the middle of the night and finds out that I'm with him, he
might start crying again,"

"But--"

"It's fine," Akashi said, "I'll... I'll try and talk to him tomorrow. In the meantime, Atsushi, can you
have him stay with you for the night?"

Murasakibara took a while to reply. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Akashi nodded.

***

Akashi had just got out of the bathroom after a refreshing shower when a knock occurred at his
door. Confused, he opened it to find Midorima.

"Shintaro," Akashi said, "Is everything okay?"

"I know you wanted to take care of Tetsuya tonight," Midorima said then handed him his
thermometer and the aloe vera he used on Tetsuya. "I've told Murasakibara that you'll be the one
coming in later. Set alarms to monitor his temperature,"

Akashi looked at the thermometer and aloe vera. "Did he cry because he was sick? Or was it
because he woke up not knowing where I was?" he asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," Midorima said, "But I am sure that you won't be able to sleep properly tonight
without knowing if Tetsuya's okay,"

Akashi smiled. "Thanks, Shintaro," he said then took the thermometer and aloe vera from
Midorima.

Later that night, Akashi forced himself to wake up and get up to Murasakibara's room to find his
purple-haired friend asleep with Tetsuya next to him, his long arms keeping Tetsuya close to him
while they both dozed off.
"Atsushi," Akashi called, shaking Murasakibara lightly. "I have to check Tetsuya's temperature,"

Murasakibara groaned and moved over sleepily for Akashi to put the thermometer on Tetsuya and
waited for a few minutes. Akashi swiped the stray hair from Tetsuya's forehead and felt that his
fever isn't that high as before.

"He was mumbling in his sleep," Murasakibara said with a yawn. "Calling you,"

Akashi took the thermometer from Tetsuya and checked to see that his temperature had reduced to
normal. "Did he now?" Akashi smiled sadly and started soothing aloe vera on Tetsuya's sunburns.

"Ne, Aka-chin," Murasakibara said as he prepared to go back to sleep. "You've changed. You smile
a lot more, frown a lot more... you've shown emotions since Tetsu-chin arrived. You must really
love him, and I'm sure Tetsu-chin loves his nii-chan the same way,"

Akashi smiled at Murasakibara's words. "Thank you, Atsushi,"

 Promises

Tetsuya spent the rest of the week resting in the mansion as Takao advice them to not exert the
toddler's energy too much to avoid him getting sick. Because of his weak appetite, Tetsuya was
more prone to diseases and would find it hard to recover.

During those days, Akashi stayed at home and brought work with him to keep an eye on Tetsuya
who still refused to talk or even spend time with him, resulting in Akashi finishing his work earlier
than he expected.

Akashi sighed with relief as he finished the review of the last paper that was stacked at the side of
his office table and stretched his sore arms. It was only him and Tetsuya at home since Aomine
finally got his wish and had Kise on a week-long flight and won't be coming home until Saturday.

Stretching his legs, Akashi got up and walked around the mansion to look for his little brother to
see him by the living room-- papers and crayons scattered along the floor while Tetsuya enjoyed
his time drawing random circles and lines on scratch papers. He didn't notice Akashi got in and
peered over his artwork and saw that a red stick figure holding hands with a smaller stick figure
and was surrounded by green circles.

Translating his sketch in his own understanding, Tetsuya was doodling about the stroll in the park
he had with Kise and Aomine. Akashi felt his stomach drop when he remembered he had agreed to
come with the three of them, only to slip through the doors and go to work when Tetsuya got
distracted.

Akashi knew now why Tetsuya was so upset-- he had promised to go with Tetsuya that day but
was unable to.

"Tetsuya," Akashi called gently, but the toddler was surprised that he flinched.

He looked up at Akashi before looking down again, ignoring his big brother. Akashi sighed
silently and sat on the floor beside him, watching as his brother continued to doodle. "Tetsuya,"
Akashi tried again as he soothed his hands over Tetsuya's hair, relaxing on his soft locks. "I'm sorry
if I was unable to go to the park with you,"

Tetsuya gave no sign that he was listening and kept doodling.

"Nii-chan had to go to work, because..." Akashi stopped at his tracks and realized he was using the
same old excuse his father used to do whenever he was upset. He mentally shook his head, not
wanting to fool Tetsuya the way his father fooled him. "I'm sorry,"

Akashi stood up to leave his brother be, but stopped when Tetsuya grabbed his pants-- stopping
him from leaving.

"Nii-chan," Tetsuya said in a low voice, "Don't go,"

Gulping the lump in his throat, Akashi knelt down and scooped his brother who wrapped his tiny
arms around Akashi's neck in a tight hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't spend time with you," Akashi said as
he soothed Tetsuya's back and lightly rocked him.

"Don't go," Tetsuya repeated.

"I'm not going anywhere," Akashi said with a smile then ruffled Tetsuya's hair when they broke
from the hug. "Tell you what, once Takao says you're okay to go out and play, Nii-chan will bring
you to his work,"

Tetsuya cocked his head in confusion, the toddler hasn't seen his big brother's work nor did he had
the slightest idea what his brother does other than stare and scribble on papers like he does when
he doodles.

Akashi chuckled. "It's beautiful there," he said, "There are many fishes. You like fishes, don't
you?"

Tetsuya broke into a smile and nodded.

"And there are many papers there for you to draw as well," Akashi said with a smile. "You can
show them all to me. What do you say?"

Tetsuya smiled and nodded. "Nii-chan. Work,"

"That's right," Akashi said, "So you have to finish your meals and drink your medicine to get
stronger so you can come with me at work and have fun,"

Later that night, Tetsuya kept his promise and finished his heapings and drank his medicine.
Although he dislikes the tastes, he endured it all for the promise that he gets to spend more time
with his big brother.

"Woah, Tetsu's starting to have an appetite," Aomine said as he looked at Tetsuya who had just
finished his dinner clean.

"What did you told him, Aka-chin?" Murasakibara asked as he took a bite off his dinner.

"I promised to take him to work with me once he gets better and once Takao gives us a go signal to
bring him outside again," Akashi said, "In return, he promised to be a good boy and finish his
meals and drink his medicine,"

"That's kind of harsh," Aomine said.

"That reminds me," Akashi said, "Shintaro, any news?"

Midorima nodded. "I talked to Takao about it earlier and he said that kids his age normally start
their education, but with Tetsuya's conditions he might have a hard time coping up with kids his
age. However, he has been showing signs of recovery by interacting with peers of his age and to
Takao, it was a sign that he might be ready for school,"

"You're sending Tetsu to school?" Aomine asked.

Akashi nodded as he stood up to get Tetsuya's medicine. "I've been meaning to send him for this
upcoming school year, but I was still waiting for Takao's confirmation so I haven't announced it
yet,"

"Don't you think Tetsu might be shocked in a sudden environment?" Aomine asked.

"Maybe," Akashi said, "But, I think Momoi can handle it. I'm sure she and Tetsuya will get along,
and I can always count on her,"

Aomine smirked. "You got a point," he said, "But I'm sure she'll be heads-over-heels on Tetsu
once she finally gets to see him. Do you know how many phone calls have I received from her
asking about Tetsu these past few months?"

Akashi just smiled then scooped Tetsuya in his arms.

 Office

Akashi stayed true to his promise and when he received a go signal from Takao to allow him to
bring Tetsuya to work, he immediately announced his brother's arrival for the next day and went
home early to inform the others.

Kise had come back from his week-long trip and had agreed to babysit Tetsuya for the day, so
Akashi is now suffering Kise's non-stop blabber about his trip as he told it all to Tetsuya who was
listening intently.

"And then I met this beautiful German girl at the airport, she spoke funny since English isn't her
mother tongue," Kise said. "Ne, Tetsuya-cchi. Are you excited to finally see Akashi-cchi's office?"

Tetsuya broke into a smile and nodded. "Nii-chan,"

"We're here," Akashi announced as he parked at his designated parking space before opening the
door for Tetsuya.

Tetsuya looked up at the gigantic building that displayed " Akashi Corp." in red letters at the top.
Akashi smiled at his brother and took his hand. "Come, Tetsuya," he said and started walking with
Kise right behind them.

"Good morning, Akashi-sama," the employees greeted as Akashi entered the office.

Akashi nodded at them then headed to his office while he held Tetsuya's hand.

"Ne, ne," a female employee said to her friend in a hushed voice. "Look at the kid Akashi-sama's
holding, could that be his brother?"

"Eh?!" Her friend replied. "They look nothing alike!"

"But Akashi-sama looks less intimidating when he's with his brother, don't you think?"

Akashi cleared his throat, catching both employees' attention. "In case you were misinformed. You
are paid here to work, not to gossip around,"

"H-hai! Akashi-sama! Gomenasai!" Both girls said before they ran off to do their business.

"Ne, Akashi-cchi scarier here than at home," Kise said in exasperation.

Akashi ignored Kise's remarks and got inside his office. Tetsuya's already widened eyes widened,
even more, when he saw a huge built-in aquarium by the wall of Akashi's office.

"Fish," Tetsuya said in enchantment as he ran and admired the different colors of species of fishes
that swam around the tank.

"I told you there are many fishes here," Akashi said with a smile as he neatly placed his coat over
his chair and ruffled Tetsuya's hair. "Would you like to feed them?"

Tetsuya looked at his brother gleefully and nodded.

"Ne, Akashi-cchi! I want to feed to fishes too!" Kise said enthusiastically as he, too, admired the
tank.
"Shut up and sit down," Akashi said, "Tetsuya will be feeding them,"

"Moooo, so mean," Kise pouted and sat on the couch across the room.

Akashi smiled at Tetsuya as he scooped him up from the ground and gave him a handful of fish
feeds. "Go on, Tetsuya,"

Tetsuya started feeding the fishes with a smile and Akashi, himself, couldn't help but smile at his
brother's happiness. He should bring Tetsuya often to lessen the stress he suffers during work.

A knock occurred on his door.

"Come in," Akashi said, putting Tetsuya down.

The door swung open and Akashi's assistant and high school friend, Reo Mibuchi, entered wearing
a fine suit and his long hair tied back in a neat ponytail. "Good morning, Seijuro-sama," he greeted
with a smile as he carried stacks of papers.

"Good Morning," Akashi greeted back.

"Oh? Is that little Tetsuya?" Reo said as he placed the papers on Akashi's table and approached
them.

Tetsuya, still uncomfortable with meeting new people, hid behind Akashi and gripped his slacks.
"Nii-chan," he said in a low voice.

Akashi smiled and smoothed his hair. "Tetsuya, this is Reo. He's my assistant and my friend," he
said.

"Nice to meet you, Tetsu-chan," Reo said with a smile.

"Oh?! Reo-cchi!" Kise said with a smile. "It's been a long time! How are you?"

"Domo, Kise-chan!" Reo returned the enthusiastic greeting. "I'm doing good. How about you?"

"I'm good," Kise said with a smile. "I just got back from a week-long flight and agreed to babysit
Tetsuya-cchi while we're at Akashi-cchi's work,"

They continued on with their conversation while Akashi watched Tetsuya get fascinated with the
fishes.

"Akashi-cchi," Kise called, taking his attention. "I'll go to the cafeteria. I can take Tetsuya-cchi
with me, I'm sure he's hungry by now,"

Akashi nodded. "Alright, Reo will show you where you'll be staying while I start my work for the
day. You're free to stay inside the office, though, as long as you keep the noises to a minimal,"

"Eh? But Tetsuya-cchi's a quiet kid,"

"I wasn't talking about Tetsuya," Akashi said.

"So mean," Kise pouted. "Ne, ne, Tetsuya-cchi. Let's go find something to it at the cafeteria,"

Tetsuya ran to Kise with a smile but stopped and looked back at Akashi. "Nii-chan," he called and
reached out.
"You go on ahead and I'll catch up, Tetsuya," Akashi said with a smile.

Tetsuya returned the gesture and went with Kise to the cafeteria.

"Seijuro-sama," Reo called. "I'm sorry, but... you have a one o'clock meeting with the board
members today. And these papers need approval and are due today,"

Akashi sighed silently and made his way to his chair. "Thank you, Reo. You can go now," he said
as he started his work.

"Would you like me to bring you coffee?" Reo asked.

Akashi smiled. "I'll call you if I'd like a cup. For now, I need you to help Ryota keep an eye on
Tetsuya today. I still have until one to at least try and spend time with him,"

Reo nodded then bowed before leaving Akashi alone. Akashi sighed as he started checking the
papers. Today was going to be a long day.
 Intruder
Chapter Notes

The following scenes are purely fictional and do not apply to the real rules and
regulations when it comes to people's last will and testament. I have no idea how it
works and has just based the scenes from watching dramas (╥﹏╥) Please do not
attack me with facts for this (〒︿〒)

Akashi was in the middle of discussing with his board members when they heard a commotion
coming from outside, followed by the swinging of the door and revealing a tall silver-haired man in
a fine black suit.

A female employee followed him after, fear in her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Akashi-sama. I tried to stop
—"

"Who are you?" Akashi asked.

The silver-haired man smirked. "Seijuro Akashi," he said, his voice calm. "Finally we meet. I
would like to have a word with you,"

"After barging into my office as if you're someone important, you expect me to heed to your words
and come and talk to you?" Akashi asked angrily.

"Yes, especially if it involves your brother," the man said, taking Akashi off guard.

His silence made the man smirk and pave a way to his office. "So, lead the way," he said.

Akashi excused himself and lead the man to his office. "Reo," he called before entering. "Do not
let anyone inside no matter how urgent, understand?"

"Yes," Reo said. "Who is that, Seijuro?"

"I don't know," Akashi answered. "Where's Tetsuya?"

"At the lounge with Kise," Reo answered.

"Keep them there," Akashi said then entered the office to see the man already sitting on the couch.

Akashi kept calm and sat across him, scowling. "So, what did you want to talk about?" He asked.

The man looked around his office as if trying to find something. "I understand you brought your
brother here," he said, "May I see him?"

Akashi glared at the man. "Not until you tell me who you are," he answered.

"Very well," the man said, "I heard that his mother passed away this past few months before you
took him from her,"

"Why do you know so much about Tetsuya?" Akashi asked.

Akashi glared at the silver-haired man who looked blankly back at him, confidence and smugness
emitting his deadpanned face that made Akashi's blood boil.

Akashi opened his mouth to ask who does he think he was to barge inside his office and neglect the
security and secretary to keep him from walking up to Akashi while he was on an important
meeting, but the door slamming open caught both their attention and spotted a panting Kise who
was just about to run for the door's direction and looked like he had spent the last few minutes
running after the cyan-haired toddler Akashi told him to watch over.

The toddler stopped at his tracks the moment he spotted Akashi and the stranger sitting across each
other. Unaware of the situation, the toddler smiled and ran for Akashi.

"Tetsuya," Akashi said, scooping the toddler and held him in his arms-- shooting a deadly glare at
Kise for letting the toddler slip past him. "Nii-chan is busy,"

But Tetsuya smiled at Akashi then at the silver-haired man Akashi was with. With a smile,
Tetsuya pointed at the man. "Ro-chan!" he said with such familiarity that made Akashi nervous for
some reason-- Tetsuya never displayed smiles at strangers.

The silver-haired man smirked and stood from his seat. "It's nice to see you again, Tetsuya," he
said.

"W-who... are you?" Akashi finally let the words slip from his mouth.

"I am Chihiro Mayuzumi, Tetsuya's cousin," the man said, "And I've come to claim Tetsuya,"

***

Akashi watched blankly at Tetsuya who was trying to learn origami in his office with Kise's help,
but his mind was on the whole scenario that unfolded to him earlier.

"That's ridiculous! Who are you exactly?" Akashi said angrily at the man. How dare he joke
about taking Tetsuya from him! Who does he think he is?

"I already told you," Mayuzumi answered. "I am Chihiro Mayuzumi . Tetsuya is my cousin.
Our mothers are sisters,"

"Then how come I only see you now?" Akashi said.

"I've been away and Tetsuya's mother has been hiding him from us for the past five years,"
Mayuzumi explained. "When I got back I found out that she died and Tetsuya was nowhere to be
found in the crime scene. Until he was admitted to a hospital for hypothermia,"

Tetsuya wiggled away from Akashi and ran to Mayuzumi with a smile. " Ro-chan !"

Mayuzumi smiled down at Tetsuya and ruffled his hair, the way Akashi does, and Akashi had
to fight the urge to not rip the man's arms apart.

"I found out that you were his half brother and have been taking care of him under your father's
will," Mayuzumi said. "Unfortunately, his mother has had a will of her own and she wanted us to
take care of Tetsuya ,"

"Liar," Akashi spat. "She didn't love Tetsuya . She abused him and caused him pain. You don't
know what he had been through! Unable to speak, to smile or laugh because of the horrors he went
through from her!"
" Nii-chan ," Tetsuya called and Akashi saw fear and worry in his eyes. Akashi realized he had
been raising his voice.

"I know everything," Mayuzumi answered. "My parents and I wanted to take him away, but she
kept on moving and hiding until we lost track of them. I don't know if she loved Tetsuya or not but
it is indicated in her will that we take care of Tetsuya ."

"I also have rights to my brother," Akashi said, "My father—"

"He and Tetsuya's mother weren't married," Mayuzumi said. "Yes, he can include Tetsuya in
his will but if Akane wants him to be taken care of his own blood relatives, then your father's will
lose its effect on Tetsuya . It is also stated in the law that immediate family members are to take
him and, in Tetsuya's case, that will be us since you are only a half-brother, besides... you're not
even related to him to call him your brother,"

Akashi froze. "W-what do you mean?" He asked.

" Tetsuya was born even before your father had a relationship with his mother,"
 Late Night

Akashi opened his mouth for the nurses to take a sample from him and moved to Tetsuya who
refused to open his mouth.

"Nii-chan!" Tetsuya called out, afraid of the nurses that tried to calm him down.

"It's okay, Tetsuya," Akashi said then scooped him from the chair with a reassuring smile. "Just
open your mouth for me, okay?"

Tetsuya clung to him tightly but nodded and opened his mouth for the nurses to take a sample.

"That's a good boy, Tetsuya," Akashi smiled. "Now, let's go and have ice cream. You like vanilla,
right?"

Tetsuya forgot all his fears and nodded with a smile. "Ice cream,"

"But first, I need you to come with Shintaro while Nii-chan finishes work, okay?"

Akashi handed Tetsuya to Midorima who went out to admire the fishes in the hospital. Akashi
turned to the doctor in charge of them. "How long will it take for the results to come out?"

"It's hard to say," the doctor answered. "But we will double the pace for your case,"

"Thank you," Akashi answered then frowned when he heard a chuckle behind him.

"Taking extra precautions, I see," Mayuzumi said.

"For all we know, you could be lying," Akashi answered.

Mayuzumi was now familiar with Akashi. He was a famous Engineer and was known worldwide,
explaining the reason why he kept on moving from one country to another and hardly ever comes
home to Japan. He didn't question his relationship with Tetsuya, though, seeing that the toddler was
always happy to see him and looked like they shared a deep mutual bond— something he and
Akashi lacked at.

"You're just hurting yourself," Mayuzumi said.

Akashi did not answer and got out of the facility to find Tetsuya eating a maiubo that Midorima
bought him.

"Nii-chan," Tetsuya said with a smile but Akashi was unable to smile back. He was too lost in
thought and was only brought back to reality when Midorima put a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe I should drive," Midorima said, "You're not yourself today,"

Akashi merely nodded and sat at the passenger seat while Midorima strapped Tetsuya at the back.

"Nii-chan," Tetsuya called but Akashi was too unfocused to look back at him.

"Akashi is tired, Tetsuya," Midorima said then smiled at the toddler who was looking at his big
brother worriedly. "I need you to behave on our way home so Akashi won't worry about you, can
you do that?"
Tetsuya nodded then looked past him. "Ro-chan!" he called with a smile, snapping Akashi back to
reality and found Mayuzumi standing by their car with a warm smile towards Tetsuya.

"Drive home safely, okay Tetsuya? I'll see you soon," Mayuzumi said then walked to his own car.

"Shintaro," Akashi called, "Hurry and let's go home,"

After strapping Tetsuya safely, Midorima started the car and they made their way home.

***

Because of the sudden outburst that happened in the office, Akashi was forced to bring work home
again. This helped him focus on other things, though, and take his thoughts off what happened
earlier. However, Tetsuya worried for him.

A knock occurred at his door but Akashi ignored it. "I'm busy," he said, not taking his eyes off the
papers he was reviewing.

Footsteps shuffled outside and Akashi was glad whoever it was outside, he was able to take a hint.

But another knock followed a few minutes after, making Akashi shoot out from his seat and open
the door harshly. "I told you! I'm—"

He stopped when he met a pair of blue eyes staring up back at him. Tetsuya, in his pajamas, stood
in front of Akashi's office holding a maiubo Murasakibara gave him.

"Tetsuya," Akashi said, calming his voice down as he knelt in front of him. "Why are you still
awake?"

"Nii-chan," Tetsuya said and handed him the maiubo. "Dinner,"

Akashi smiled at his brother's gesture. Because of being too caught up with the events earlier and
being buried with work, Akashi forgot to eat dinner with them and was still up at twelve midnight.

Akashi took the maiubo from Tetsuya with a smile and took a bite to satisfy his little brother. He,
honestly, wasn't that hungry nor did he found an appetite to eat after stressing out so much from
work and from Mayuzumi and he doubts he'll find any appetite for the night.

But Tetsuya had stayed up late with him, worried about Akashi skipping dinner when he, himself,
told the toddler that he should finish his servings to grow up big and strong.

He clearly wasn't setting a good example. Great. Akashi thought. I sound like Daiki.

"Where's Daiki?" Akashi asked. Aomine was supposed to take care of Tetsuya today since he
knew Akashi would be working late again.

Tetsuya stepped forward and hugged Akashi. "Nii-chan," he said again.

"I can't sleep with you tonight, Tetsuya. I still have lots of works to do," Akashi said, though his
body was a traitor, and the moment Tetsuya gave him that warm hug, his eyes immediately became
droopy and a yawn escaped from his mouth.

"I guess it can wait tomorrow," Akashi muttered then scooped Tetsuya up and headed to his room.

Tetsuya rested his head on Akashi's chest and gripped his shirt while Akashi soothed his back. "Go
to sleep, Tetsuya," Akashi said as he felt his eyes become heavy.
Before Tetsuya could even find sleep, Akashi had already entered his own dreams.

Tetsuya shifted and looked over to Akashi to see him already asleep. He pulled the blankets up to
his shoulder and cuddled Akashi before closing his eyes.

"Nii-chan..." he whispered. "I love you,"

 Escape

It had been a few weeks since Akashi met Mayuzumi and things have been more stressful than they
were before. Work was starting to get harder for Akashi and he seems to be having trouble
balancing his time with work and spending time with Tetsuya.

Ever since Akashi brought him to work, Tetsuya had been expecting to come with him every time
Akashi would leave to the point that he'd wake up earlier than all of them so Akashi won't have an
excuse for leaving him behind. But Akashi couldn't bring him all the time since their office isn't
meant for a kid's playground and he couldn't keep on asking the others to come with him to work
just to babysit Tetsuya.

"Nii-chan!" Tetsuya called as he tried to get down from Murasakibara when he spotted Akashi
heading for the door.

"Sorry, Aka-chin," Murasakibara said, "He was looking for you and keep on going to places I can't
fit like under the table,"

"It's fine, Atsushi," Akashi said, then took Tetsuya from Murasakibara.

He didn't want to be straightforward since he didn't want to hurt Tetsuya or make him think that
Akashi didn't want to spend times with him, but he also can't keep on slipping through like a
shadow and hope Tetsuya doesn't look for him for the rest of the day.

"Tetsuya, please listen to me very carefully," Akashi said as he put Tetsuya down and knelt in front
of him. "Nii-chan is needed at work today. I know I promised that I'd take you to work with me,
but there will be times when I can't, okay? Please understand this. I have to go to work and you
have to be a good boy and wait for me to come home. You can do that, can you?"

Tetsuya looked at him then nodded, though his eyes reflected sadness. Akashi smiled, despite
feeling the pang in his chest when Tetsuya looked up at him with pure sadness. He reached up and
ruffled his hair. "Nii-chan will be back before the big hand in the clock reaches the number eight.
Until then, be a good boy to Atsushi and wait for me, okay?"

Tetsuya turned and ran to Murasakibara, gripping his pants. "Don't be sad Tetsu-chin,"
Murasakibara said as he bent down and ruffled the toddler's hair. "Aka-chin will be back soon and
you two can play then,"

But the toddler didn't give a sign that he agreed and kept his hold on Murasakibara. Akashi silently
sighed and went for the door, glancing a last look at Tetsuya before leaving for work.

"Reo," Akashi called through his intercom and Reo came in.

"You called?" he asked.

"Cancel all my meetings for the next three days," Akashi said, "Hold all papers and phone calls as
well. I'll be taking a short vacation,"

"B-but--"

"I'm sure the board members can handle the operations," Akashi said, "If not, then remind me why
are we paying those old fools a few thousand yen to do nothing?"
"Understood," Reo answered.

"And call Daiki's and Shintaro's superiors, tell them that they'll be taking a vacation as well,"
Akashi said. "Thank you,"

Because of his sudden announcement, Akashi was forced to stay late at work and by the time he
arrived at the mansion, it was already two in the morning. Akashi sighed and made his way up to
his room where he lied down his bed without bothering to remove his coat or his tie and stayed at
that position until he didn't realize he'd fallen asleep.

***

"Akashi," Midorima called as he shook Akashi lightly. "Akashi,"

Akashi grunted and pulled his blanket over his head. "Five more minutes," he mumbled.

"Care to why you pulled me and Aomine from work for three days?" Midorima asked.

"Vacation," Akashi mumbled.

"Vacation?" Midorima repeated.

"Beach," Akashi answered, "Be ready... five minutes..."

"Five minutes?"

But Akashi got back to sleep, clearly exhausted for working overtime last night.

"He still isn't up?" Aomine asked when Midorima got out of Akashi's room.

"He looks exhausted," Midorima said.

"Did he told you why we were pulled from work for three days?"

"He said something about a beach and a vacation," Midorima said, "And I'm hinting he'd want Kise
and Murasakibara to stay home as well,"

"It's not like I'm going anywhere," Kise said.

"I think this has something to do with him coming home late," Aomine said, "Tetsu was pretty
upset last night,"

That night, Tetsuya waited by the front door and refused to go to sleep despite the late hours.
Aomine volunteered to stay up late with him and only managed to remove the toddler from his spot
when Tetsuya fell asleep. This morning, he refused to come out of Aomine's room and had been
staying inside for the rest of the morning.

"I think so too," Midorima said.

"Awesome! I wish I had a brother like Akashi-cchi!" Kise said, "Imagine he wanted to make up
with Tetsuya-cchi by taking him on vacation for three days to spend time with him!"

After a few hours, Akashi finally found his strength to wake up and talk to the others.
Unfortunately, Tetsuya was still upset with him that he didn't dare let go of Aomine while Akashi
called in a "family meeting" or so what Kise called.
No one dared question Akashi pulling them from work as they knew what he planned to do.
However, Tetsuya still refused to talk nor acknowledge his big brother and had been clinging to the
others— an attempt to make Akashi jealous in Tetsuya's point of view.

The next morning, Tetsuya woke up in an unfamiliar bed and unfamiliar place— Aomine beside
him, snoring. Quietly, Tetsuya got down and went to the balcony of the room and gasped at the
most amazing view of the ocean.

The sun was shining and the sand sparkled along with the sunlight while the sound of the waves
synchronized with the cool wind.

Behind him, Akashi stood silently with a smile on his face while his brother admired the beach.
Today was an escape— from work, from stress, from broken promises, and from the unconfirmed
fact that they might not be brothers.
 Beach
Chapter Notes

Have never been to the beach and only imagined what it would feel like if I go for the
first time (*^。^*) This will be a first for me and Tetsuya so... yey us! (≧∇≦)/

Back at the balcony of their cottage, the beach looked nice and relaxing. But up close? It was a
whole different level.

The waves crashed to the shore harshly while kids of all ages ran around, playing, while others
built sand castles or collect seashells that had been buried under the sand. The noise and the
number of people were enough for Tetsuya to cling to Akashi as he carried his little brother to the
beach, along with the other four males they were with.

"Wooooah!" Kise said excitedly as he looked around. "It's been so long since I last went to the
beach to relax! Isn't this fun, Aomine-cchi? Ne! Aomine-cchi!"

The blue-haired police officer, as weird as it looked, had brought a pair of telescopes and had been
looking around the beach with it with a sly grin on his face.

"Oy! Aomine-cchi! That's wrong!" Kise said.

"Shut up!" Aomine said, "I'm here to relax like you, so mind your own— ack!"

A slap on the back of his head cut him off at what he was saying. But he didn't dare snap at the
source of the impact and just looked up at it with surprise.

"Geez, Dai-chan, you're setting a bad example to the kid you're with," a female voice said.

She had bubble gum-colored eyes and hair that was tied back in a ponytail. She wore a sky blue
two-piece swimsuit and had a kind smile.

"Momo-cchi!" Kise said as he tackled the female with a hug.

"Ooh, Mo-chin, you're here," Murasakibara said with his usual lazy tone as he munched on a bag
of chips.

"Momoi," Midorima greeted plainly.

"Satsuki?! What are you doing here?" Aomine asked.

"Well, Akashi-kun invited me to tag along," she said.

Satsuki Momoi was their middle school's basketball team manager and Aomine's childhood friend.
When they graduated from high school, she took up education and was now teaching as a
kindergarten teacher.

"Also, I needed to keep an eye on you Dai-chan," Satsuki said with a wink.

Aomine clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I'm not a kid anymore, you know," he muttered.
Momoi smiled then looked past Aomine and her eyes sparkled. "Waah! Is it Tetsuya-kun?" She
squealed as she ran up to Akashi to take a look at Tetsuya who clung to his brother like a lifeline.

Akashi smiled. "Yes, this is Tetsuya," he said. "Tetsuya, say hello to Momoi,"

"Hello, Tetsu-kun!" Momoi said with a jolly smile. "I'm Satsuki Momoi, nice to meet you,"

Tetsuya looked up at her bashfully then went back to burying his face on his brother's neck.

"He's a little shy, isn't he?" Momoi said with a smile as she played with his hair.

"That's why I invited you along," Akashi said, "I knew he'd act like this when it comes to meeting
new people so I wanted him to adjust to you first before he goes to summer school,"

"Ne, ne! Let's go for a swim already!" Kise whined.

Midorima snorted and sat down under the shade of a nearby palm tree silently. Murasakibara lazily
followed Kise and went into the water while Aomine slipped through and started looking for girls
around the beach.

"Tetsuya," Akashi said, "Let's go for a swim, shall we?"

Tetsuya looked up at him then at the beach before tightening his hug on Akashi's neck.

"Don't worry," Akashi said with a smile. "Nii-chan won't let you go,"

Akashi was well aware that it was the first time Tetsuya visited the beach and had only in contact
with water during bath times. He knew that Tetsuya was anxious and probably scared for seeing a
huge amount of water with strangers enjoying themselves so he took slow steps for Tetsuya to
enjoy.

Momoi ran off with Kise and have been roughhousing with the blonde as they splashed water
around while Akashi stayed at the beach where the water only reached his waist.

"Tetsuya, look," Akashi said, aware that the toddler has his eyes shut. "Look, we're already in the
water,"

Tetsuya slowly opened his eyes and looked around him. He paled upon only seeing the blue crystal
water around him, but Akashi reassured him by ruffling his hair with a smile.

"I told you, Nii-chan won't let you go,"

The assurance was enough for Tetsuya to loosen his grip and for Akashi to dip his legs to the
water. "See? It's not that scary, right?" He said.

Tetsuya reached down and smiled at the feel of the water on his arms and started splashing around
with joy.

"Tetsuya-cchi!" Kise called with a wide grin as he, Momoi, and Murasakibara approached him.

Tetsuya smiled and continued to splash around while Akashi held him. His enthusiasm was a sign
for Akashi to lower him further until the water reached Tetsuya's waist, making the toddler smile
some more.

"Kawaii!" Momoi squealed.

Akashi raised Tetsuya from the water and moved forward until the water reaches his chest. Still
nervous, Tetsuya clung to him tightly but he enjoyed the water.

Akashi smiled.

A while ago, Tetsuya had forgotten about him being upset towards Akashi and had pulled Akashi
out of their room, excited to go to the beach and Akashi had smiled at his brother's enthusiasm
towards the water.

How Akashi would do everything just to keep his little brother's smile.
 Seashell

"Ne, ne, Aomine-cchi!" Kise called. "Let's have a chicken fight!"

"A what?" Akashi asked while Tetsuya continued to splash around and play with Momoi.

"You know, that game people play in pools and beaches!" Kise said, "You get on top of someone.
In this case, Midorima-cchi or Murasakibara-cchi and you try to push your opponent,"

"Interesting," Akashi said.

"I won't be dragged into your foolishness," Midorima said.

After a few minutes of persuasion, Akashi and the others had finally dragged Midorima into the
water to spend time with them— it had taken a few threats from Akashi, a whining Kise, and a
teary-eyed Tetsuya to make him move.

"Why not?! It's fun!" Kise said.

"I don't do fun," Midorima said, glaring at Kise for being too loud.

"You could've just said you're afraid, Shintaro," Akashi said. "We would've understood,"

A vein popped from Midorima's forehead upon hearing the word. Aomine took the hint and
smirked.

"Yeah," Aomine said. "Although the name of the game suited you... chicken,"

"What did you say?" Midorima snapped.

"I didn't say anything," Aomine said trying to act innocent. "I mean, if you're too weak to go
against me and Akashi it's fine and all,"

Midorima leered. "I didn't say I'd back out,"

The persuasion and jeering were enough for Midorima to join in and the next thing he knew, he
was facing Murasakibara's lazy gaze with Akashi on top of him while Aomine rode Midorima.

"This is gonna be fun," Aomine said with a smirk.

"Try not to cry when you lose, Daiki, Shintaro," Akashi said with a smirk.

"I shall not lose," Midorima said.

"Can we eat snacks after this?" Murasakibara asked.

"Mooo! Why am I not included?! I thought of the game!" Kise whined who was standing at a safe
distance next to Momoi who held Tetsuya.

"Go for it, Akashi-kun! Dai-chan!" Momoi cheered.

"Nii-chan!" Tetsuya called along, cheering for Akashi.

"What about me, Tetsu?" Aomine asked.

"Mi-chan!" Tetsuya cheered as well.

"Ryota, you start the countdown," Akashi called.

Kise pouted. "Fine, but I'll be going next if one of you loses," he said, "The only rule will be
pushing, got it?"

Akashi and Aomine smirked at each other as they clasped hands and prepared to push,
Murasakibara and Midorima doing the same.

"San..."

"Ni..."

"Ichi!"

The wave crashed but both tall males held their ground as they pushed hard at each other with the
strength they acquired from playing basketball. Aomine and Akashi above did the same and ended
up in a stalemate despite Aomine's bigger build than Akashi.

"Fool," Midorima told Murasakibara through gritted teeth. "Oha-asa predicted that Cancer will win
over Libra today,"

The current helped Midorima to push, making Murasakibara step back.

"This is so bothersome," Murasakibara said.

"You may be right, Shintaro," Akashi said through gritted teeth as he fought hard against Aomine's
push. "But you forgot... I am absolute,"

Another wave crashed and Akashi took this advantage to push Aomine back, putting all his weight
on his arms, causing Aomine to tumble back along with Midorima with a huge splash.

"Akashi-cchi and Murasakibara-cchi won!" Kise announced followed by Momoi's cheers.

"Congratulations," Midorima said, though his lips formed a thin line.

"Ne, Midorima-cchi, no need to pout over it!" Kise said, "It's just a game,"

"I'm not pouting over it," Midorima said.

Akashi chuckled. "I had to admit you almost had me," he said, "But the waves were just on my side
today,"

"Hmph," Midorima said. "Oha-asa did predict that Saggitarius will overpower Cancer today,"

Aomine looked up. "It's getting hot, let's go and get lunch," he said. "Wouldn't want to get a
sunburn,"

"But Aomine-cchi's already dark is it is," Kise muttered, making Aomine give him a chop on the
head.

"Baka, I meant Tetsu," Aomine said.

The group moved back to the cottage they were staying in for lunch, but Tetsuya had other ideas.
He didn't seem to want to leave the beach and had started crying when Momoi removed him from
the water.

"Ne, Tetsu-kun, don't cry," Momoi said, rocking Tetsuya. "We'll be back later, we still need to eat
lunch or you won't have enough energy to swim,"

"She's right, Tetsu," Aomine said, ruffling his hair.

"Tetsuya," Midorima called as he approached them and handed Tetsuya a white seashell.

"Wow! That's pretty! Where did you get it Midorima-cchi?" Kise asked.

"I got it when I landed on the water earlier," Midorima said.

Tetsuya stopped crying and admired the shell in Midorima's hand. He looked up at Midorima, his
eyes asking what it is.

"That is a seashell," Midorima said, "You put it against your ear so you can hear the ocean,"

Tetsuya took the shell and put it against his ear, slowly smiling once he heard the ocean in the
seashell.

Akashi smiled and ruffled his hair. "That way, even after we go home, you can still hear the
ocean," he said.

Tetsuya smiled at Akashi and handed the seashell. "Nii-chan," he said.

They spent the rest of the afternoon digging for seashells and Midorima found it enjoyable as well
as Tetsuya and saved Akashi the trouble of babysitting him because, at night, it was Akashi who
suffered a sunburn for spending too much time in the water.

"Nii-chan," Tetsuya called while Akashi lied on the bed, face down, while Midorima put aloe vera
on his burnt skin.

"It's okay, Tetsuya," Akashi smiled. "It's just sunburn,"

"Just sunburn he says," Aomine muttered. "Have you heard yourself talk earlier? Cursing
everything when cool water hit your back?"

Akashi reached up and threw a pillow at Aomine who was able to dodge it but hit Kise instead.

"Ow! Akashi-cchi what did I do?" Kise whined.

"Murasakibara, stop eating on the mattress," Midorima scolded.

"Make me," Murasakibara muttered as he continued to chomp on his snacks while sitting on the
lower portion of the double bunk bed.

"Why are we sharing one room again?" Kise asked.

"Because Tetsuya would want to see us together rather than in separate rooms," Akashi said, "Isn't
that right, Tetsuya?"

But the toddler gave no response as he dozes off from the exhaustion and fun he had for the day.
His hands clasped around the seashell and a smile on his face as he dreamed about their time at the
beach.
 Friend

Squealing and giggles welcomed the sibling's ears when they arrived at the kindergarten. It was
Tetsuya's first day in summer school, and as expected, he was suffering separation anxiety and had
clung to Akashi's coat while Akashi walked down the halls of the school to look for Tetsuya's
classroom.

"Ohayo, Akashi-kun, Tetsu-kun," Momoi greeted once Akashi arrived at the classroom wherein
about fifteen kids of Tetsuya's age played around while waiting for their lesson to start.

"Sensei!" A kid with brown spiky hair approached them. "Who is that?"

"This is Tetsuya," Momoi said with a smile. "He will be joining us from now on,"

Akashi knelt down so Tetsuya will be able to reach the floor. "Go on, Tetsuya," he said gently as
Tetsuya tightened his hug around Akashi's neck. "We talked about this, didn't we? Momoi is here
so you don't have to be afraid anymore,"

Tetsuya whimpered. "Nii-chan," he whispered, "Don't go,"

"I have to," Akashi said gently, glancing at Momoi for help. "Nii-chan needs to go to work, okay?
But I will come back to you later. Until then, stay here with Momoi. Look, there are many children
here your age and they're willing to play with you,"

"That's right!" The brown-haired toddler said with a wide grin. "My name is Shigehiro Ogiwara,
let's be friends Tetsuya!"

Akashi smiled at Ogiwara. "There, you see? Ogiwara wants to be friends with you," he said.

Tetsuya slowly looked back at the smiling Ogiwara who reached his hand out for Tetsuya to take
then looked back at Akashi.

"I will come back to you later and if you'll be a good boy, Nii-chan promises to buy you the vanilla
ice cream at the park," Akashi said, "How's that?"

Although still reluctant, Tetsuya nodded and took Ogiwara's hand who pulled him to show Tetsuya
the toys they had inside the classroom.

Akashi smiled as he stood up. "Momoi, please take care of him," he said.

"Of course," Momoi said, "You didn't have to ask me, Akashi-kun,"

"I'll come by and pick him up later this afternoon," Akashi said then glanced at Tetsuya before
leaving for work.

"Ne, ne, Tetsuya," Ogiwara said, "Is that really your Nii-chan?"

Tetsuya nodded.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Ogiwara said.

"Now, Ogiwara-kun," Momoi said, "Tetsuya is still shy and nervous since this will be his first time
going to school,"
"Ne, Tetsuya," Ogiwara said, "My mommy works as a teacher like Momoi-sensei! But she's
teaching at the big kid's school. How about your mommy? Where does she work?"

Tetsuya looked at him then spotted the television the school uses for educational entertainment for
the toddlers. "Mom," he said as he pointed at the television.

"Wooow! Is your mom a... a star?" Ogiwara asked, amazed.

Tetsuya nodded.

Momoi looked sadly at Tetsuya, though. He knew all about Tetsuya's past as Akashi told her what
he had gone through when Akashi enrolled Tetsuya for the summer class, this was for Momoi to
understand how Tetsuya was special. She also knew what had happened to his mother, dying due to
a drug overdose after giving Tetsuya away for Akashi to take care of.

"Ne, everyone," Momoi said, clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention. "We'll be
starting our activity, so gather around,"

"Ah! Tetsuya, activities are fun! Here, I'll show you how to do every activity Momoi-sensei will
give!" Ogiwara said.

Tetsuya smiled weakly and nodded at Ogiwara.

They spent the rest of their days doing fun group activities that Momoi especially planned for
Tetsuya to learn how to interact with other kids. Tetsuya, however shy and reluctant at first, proved
to be a team player and clearly enjoyed the activities they did such as exchanging drawings,
playing tag, listening to stories, and so much more. By the end of the day, Momoi had managed to
put everyone on a nap and was happy to see Tetsuya sleeping next to Ogiwara who held his hand.

The time finally came for the parents to pick up their kids until it was only Tetsuya and Ogiwara
left. Momoi stayed with them until Ogiwara's mom came to pick him up while Mayuzumi arrived
at the room.

"A-ano..." Momoi said, "What can I do for you?"

Mayuzumi looked at Momoi and bowed in respect. "I'm Chihiro Mayuzumi, and I've come to pick
Tetsuya up from school," he said.

"E-eh? But... Akashi-kun said he'll be the one picking Tetsu-kun from school," Momoi said, "I
can't just give Tetsu-kun to you without Akashi-kun's consent,"

"Ro-chan!" Tetsuya called as he ran up to Mayuzumi who picked Tetsuya up, a smile on his lips.

"Hello, Tetsuya," Mayuzumi said, "How are you?"

"Ro-chan, look," Tetsuya said as he flashed his doodle at Mayuzumi.

"That's very beautiful artwork, Tetsuya," Mayuzumi said with a smile.

"I agree, now put him down," A voice said from behind Mayuzumi.

Mayuzumi turned to see Akashi standing by the doorway with his mismatched eyes glaring up at
him.

"Nii-chan!" Tetsuya called then showed him the artwork he made.

Mayuzumi smirked then put Tetsuya down. Tetsuya ran up to Akashi who scooped him up. "What
are you doing here?" he asked Mayuzumi. "The results aren't still out so you have no right to take
Tetsuya,"

"I have no intention of taking him until we see the results of your DNA match," Mayuzumi said, "I
just wanted to take Tetsuya to a carnival nearby as I promised it to him when we last saw each
other,"

"Who says I'll let you take my brother?"

"I wasn't asking for your permission," Mayuzumi said.

"Ne," Momoi called, clearly annoyed at the childish bickering of both adults. "If you're done
arguing, can you start moving? I have to close the room,"

"Sorry, Momoi," Akashi said then stepped out of the room.

"Nii-chan," Tetsuya called then pointed at Mayuzumi. "Ro-chan,"

"What about him?" Akashi asked with a frown.

"Wheel," Tetsuya answered.

"Wheel?" Akashi asked in confusion.

"Ah, so you haven't forgotten that Tetsuya?" Mayuzumi asked with a victorious smirk. "I'm
actually surprised that you remembered considering you were still three at that time,"

"What are you talking about?" Akashi asked.

"I promised Tetsuya that I'd take him to ride a Ferris wheel at the carnival when he was younger,"
Mayuzumi said.

"Nii-chan can take you himself, Tetsuya, along with Daiki, Ryota, Shintaro, and Atsushi," Akashi
said.

Tetsuya looked at him then back at Mayuzumi. "Ro-chan," he said.

"Oh but I don't think your Nii-chan wants me to come, Tetsuya," Mayuzumi said, making Akashi
glare at him. At his young age, Tetsuya won't be able to understand why his Nii-chan didn't want
Mayuzumi to come.

"Fine," Akashi said through gritted teeth. "Mayuzumi will come as well,"

Tetsuya smiled and hugged Akashi, allowing him to leer at Mayuzumi. For Tetsuya... he will do
anything... for Tetsuya.
 Carnival

Akashi just had to go and pick the date where he was most unfortunate. He was expecting a
meeting with a future business partner this weekend and had completely forgotten it when he
scheduled their carnival trip, now he was torn between committing to work or enjoying the time
with Tetsuya.

"How are you going to handle that?" Midorima asked when he saw how problematic Akashi
looked. The last he was this flustered was when Tetsuya was admitted to the hospital.

"I've already sent Reo as my proxy," Akashi said, "I'm sure he can fill me in for the day and I've
already told him to call me if things get out of hand, and--"

"And what?" Midorima said, "You'll drop everything and go to work?"

Akashi didn't answer.

Midorima sighed. "You should just go and proceed with your meeting, the other and I can come
with--"

"I won't be able to stay focused knowing that Mayuzumi is spending time with Tetsuya," Akashi
said then sighed. "How long until the results are released?"

"It will take a few days, DNA matching has delicate processes and they need to follow a procedure
exactly as it says," Midorima said.

Akashi nodded.

"What happens..." Midorima asked, "After the result?"

Akashi took a moment to answer. "We'll have to cross that bridge once we get there," he said, "For
now... all I want is to make Tetsuya happy,"

Akashi had agreed to take Ogiwara with them to the carnival under Tetsuya's request and had
Momoi come along as well since she was the only one Ogiwara's mother knew. He had the same
attitude as Aomine and had been picking continuous fights with the blue-haired police officer who
was too immature to let a petty argument slide.

"Mooo! You're both too noisy!" Kise whined on the car ride to the carnival as he drove his car
while Murasakibara and Midorima went with Akashi and Tetsuya in a separate car.

"Dai-chan, knock it off!" Momoi scolded Aomine who was having a wrestling match in the
backseat of Kise's car with Ogiwara.

"He started it!" Aomine and Ogiwara said in unison.

"I don't care who started it," Momoi said then sighed. "Geez, I thought we only had two child
companions, turns out there were four,"

Kise did the math. "Eh? But, Momo-cchi, It's just Aomine-cchi,"

Momoi looked at him, raising a brow, that Kise immediately caught. "Mooo! Momo-cchi's so
mean!" he whined.
When they arrived at the carnival, they say Mayuzumi already there and waiting for them.

"So that's Mayuzumi?" Aomine asked as Ogiwara jumped from the car and ran to Tetsuya who had
just got down from their own.

"Ne, Tetsuya! Let's go check the merry-go-round!" Ogiwara said as he grabbed Tetsuya and started
darting through the crowded carnival.

"W-wait, Ogiwara-kun!" Momoi called and ran after both toddlers.

"That child is such a nuisance," Aomine said, flexing his knuckles. "Maybe I should give him a
whack on the head or something,"

"Ne, Aomine-cchi! That's wrong," Kise said then hushed his tone. "Besides, I don't think Akashi-
cchi would appreciate you displaying a bad manner with that Mayuzumi around. He might think
we're hurting Tetsuya-cchi,"

"Huh? But Tetsu's an angel compared to that little devil," Aomine said.

"Still!" Kise said.

Aomine clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Fine," he grumbled. "But if Tetsu gets hurt because of
him, I'll give him a piece of my mind,"

Akashi started to walk towards the carnival and tried to catch up with Momoi and the kids after
finishing a call he received from Reo. Seeing this, Mayuzumi smirked. "You know, you could've
just dropped Tetsuya here and go on with your meeting, rather than have your attention be split
between watching over him and your little meeting,"

"For someone who has a reputation of being great when it comes to your field, you seem pretty
uneducated when it comes to putting your nose in other people's business," Akashi said with a
glare.

Mayuzumi smirked. "Hey, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," he said, "That meeting
looks important, though,"

Akashi ignored him and continued to walk until they found Momoi with the kids who were peering
over a stall with stuffed animals and some pins on a shelf.

Tetsuya was craning his neck and looking over an Alaskan Malamute stuffed animal that had the
same blue eyes as him. Unfortunately, Akashi was too busy sending a text to Reo that he didn't
notice Tetsuya's silent pleas for him to get the stuffed animal.

"Say, Tetsuya," Mayuzumi said as he knelt in front of Tetsuya with a smile. "Would you like me to
get you that dog?"

"Me too! Me too!" Ogiwara said, jumping up and down. "I want... I want that toy gun!"

Mayuzumi smiled at Ogiwara and ruffled his hair before turning to the owner of the stall and
paying for the game. In the end, Mayuzumi was able to get the stuffed animal for Tetsuya and the
toy gun for Ogiwara, and both kids ran off with smiles on their faces for their newly acquired toys.

Akashi frowned as Tetsuya ran around, hugging the stuffed animal that came from Mayuzumi's
efforts and he had to restrain himself from snatching the said stuffed animal and throw it in the
trash bin.
They spent the day running around and trying different stalls and snacks that the carnival offered,
they also went and tried different rides as well. But with Akashi's attention split between Tetsuya
and work, he was unable to have the chance to enjoy it with Tetsuya who seems to be enjoying his
time as Mayuzumi swoops down and keeps him happy for the day while Akashi becomes busy
with his phone.

"Ro-chan!" Tetsuya called and pointed at the Ferris wheel.

Mayuzumi smiled and nodded. "Let's go," he said.

"I want to come too!" Ogiwara said then grabbed Momoi's skirt and started pulling her to the line.
"Momoi-sensei! Come with us, please?!"

"E-eh? Okay, Ogiwara-kun, but you don't have to pull my skirt," Momoi said with a smile as he
held Ogiwara's hand.

Akashi's phone rang with Reo's caller id. "Reo," he said as he kept his distance from the others to
reduce the noise. "What's the situation?"

"I'm sorry for calling you, Seijuro-sama," Reo said on the other line. "But, you're really needed at
the office right away,"

"Can't that wait?" Akashi asked, glancing at Midorima who had gazed up at him curiously.

"I'm sorry, sir," Reo said, "But I've tried holding them back as much as I can, they wanted to see
you,"

Akashi sighed then looked at Tetsuya. He was smiling up at Mayuzumi while the four of them
lined up for their turn at the Ferris wheel. Tetsuya was already having fun with Mayuzumi anyway,
so why will Akashi's absence impact his little brother if he's too happy to notice him gone?

"I'm on my way," he said and ended the call.

He took one last glance at Tetsuya before turning to exit the scene and go to work.
 Lose

Tetsuya was confused when it was Kise who picked him up from school today. Kise walked up to
Momoi and talked in a hushed tone before looking over to Tetsuya.

"Ready to go home, Tetsuya-cchi?" Kise said with a smile and reached out for his hand.

"Nii-chan," Tetsuya said and looked around. Akashi had promised to pick him up that afternoon
and buy him ice cream.

"Akashi-cchi was held up at work," Kise said, "He'll be coming home late and was sorry he
couldn't take you out for ice cream,"

Tetsuya frowned but took Kise's hand and bid goodbye to Momoi.

"Ne, Tetsuya-cchi," Kise said, aware of the toddler's sad silence at the back of the car as they drove
home. "How was your day at school? Did you draw anything today?"

Tetsuya sadly nodded and had kept silent on the ride home, clutching a piece of paper that he was
planning to show to Akashi.

When they arrived home, Aomine and Murasakibara were watching television in the living room
but didn't look like they were paying much attention to the show.

"Tetsu, welcome home," Aomine said with a forced smile.

Tetsuya raised his hands up to be picked up by Aomine. "Nii-chan," he said.

Aomine stiffed. "H-he's still at work, Tetsu," he said, "He'll be home late,"

But the toddler sensed something different. They have been acting weird, talking in a hushed tone
and sadness reflected in their eyes. Tetsuya pointed at the stairs going to their room, "Up," he said.

"U-uh..." Aomine said, "You know, how about we eat an early dinner? Then we can have ice
cream, Akashi promised you ice cream didn't you?"

Tetsuya looked at him and nodded.

Murasakibara took this as a cue to prepare dinner while Kise and Aomine watched over Tetsuya as
he doodled while waiting for dinner.

"Kise-chin," Murasakibara called from the kitchen. "Would you lend me a hand for a while?"

"Hmm? Sure!" Kise said then went to the kitchen.

After a few minutes, Aomine's phone rang, and have him answer it outside since it was a call from
his superior and looked confidential.

Tetsuya looked around and decided to put his doodle on Akashi's office to surprise him when he
comes from work. He knew that Akashi would still be working once he gets in and he wanted to
show his artwork to Akashi as soon as he can.

He stooped at his tracks, though, when his nose caught a whiff of a scent he hadn't smelled for a
long period of time-- alcohol. It came from Akashi's office had quietly pushed the door open to see
his big brother slumped on his table with a few bottles of liquor scattered all over his table.
Midorima was standing beside him as Akashi sobbed heavily.

Tetsuya's eyes widened and were about to step in when Akashi spoke, his voice slurred, his eyes
and face puffed from crying and his face tinged in pink from being too drunk. "This is all his
fault," he muttered, "Why, Shin? Why did he have to come and ruin my life?"

Midorima didn't answer and just continued to stand quietly beside Akashi's complaints. "Why is
Tetsuya even here with me? Why is he still here?" he asked, "Why..."

The DNA test results have arrived at Akashi, and to his heartbreak, Mayuzumi was telling the truth
about him and Tetsuya. They weren't brothers nor are they related in blood. Akashi's father just
volunteered to take care of Tetsuya and his mother because of the love he felt towards her.

"Why is did he even arrived in my life?" Akashi cried, "Only to be taken away without even giving
me the chance to fight for him..."

Midorima sighed. "You've drunk too many, Akashi," he said, "Come on and freshen up, I'm sure
Tetsuya wouldn't want to see you like that,"

"Who cares?" Akashi snapped, making Tetsuya flinch back. "He doesn't need me, right?! He's
happy with that Mayuzumi! He... he doesn't need me!"

Midorima clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Are you listening to yourself?" he said, grabbing
Akashi's collar. "Tetsuya needs you. He doesn't care if you're not related at all! He's your brother!
Are you just going to stand by and let Mayuzumi take him away?!"

Akashi looked down hopelessly. "B-but... the results..."

"Tetsuya doesn't care if the results are negative," Midorima said, "Your brothers, and that's all that
matters to him!"

Akashi looked away before his blood turned cold when his eyes landed on the slightly open door
of his office-- standing by the door was Tetsuya, holding a crumpled piece of paper with his head
hung low after hearing what his brother just said.

"Tetsuya..." Akashi called as he stood up.

Midorima was frozen in his own place as well, surprised to see the toddler standing there for who
knows how long.

Akashi gulped the lump in his throat as he took a step forward-- Tetsuya mirroring his move by
moving backward-- and he realized that Tetsuya heard everything he said.

"Tetsuya..." Akashi called again, panicking internally as he tried to find the proper words to explain
to Tetsuya what he really meant. "N-Nii-chan didn't mean it... I..."

His mouth went dry when he couldn't find the words to tell Tetsuya what he really meant.

Tetsuya turned and ran away, leaving the paper on the ground. Akashi ran after him but stopped
when he saw the paper Tetsuya once held-- it was a doodle about a trip to the beach and Akashi
immediately recognized it as their trip to the beach with the words "My Family" on top.

Why is did he even arrived in my life?

Why is he still here?

Why did he have to come and ruin my life?

He doesn't need me...

Akashi's words came flooding back to him as he realized what he had done. He was so afraid of
losing Tetsuya that he didn't realize he was already driving him away from him.

"Shintaro..." Akashi called, trying hard to keep his voice from breaking. "Call Mayuzumi..."
 Broken

Mayuzumi gazed up at him with cold eyes, but Akashi was already broken to notice as Aomine
took Tetsuya's luggage downstairs and handed it to Mayuzumi.

Kise was ushered outside the living room with Murasakibara because he wouldn't stop crying at
the thought of Tetsuya leaving them. But everyone knew it was for the best-- they had no right to
keep him anymore.

"I will wait for Tetsuya to finish his summer school before I take him to Europe with me,"
Mayuzumi said, not caring whether Akashi was paying attention or not.

Akashi's eyes were empty and words just passed through him without absorbing what they meant.
That night, something inside Tetsuya broke and he was back to his old emotionless, broken self and
it was all because of Akashi.

"Because of what you've done, I think I'll find it fit for you to not contact Tetsuya again,"
Mayuzumi said then glanced at Aomine who had his fists clenched. "All of you, in general,"

Midorima arrived at the living room, Tetsuya in his arms, his mouth forming a thin line, and was
trying hard not to show any kind of emotion as he gave the toddler to Mayuzumi.

Mayuzumi looked at Midorima then at Aomine and at Akashi. "I'm not heartless enough to not let
you say your goodbyes," he said then put the toddler down. "Make it quick, though,"

Aomine knelt in front of Tetsuya and ruffled his hair, a sad smile across his face. "Tetsu, I want
you to have this," he said, giving Tetsuya his old basketball. "So you can have something to play
with your friends when you grow up..." he gulped the lump in his throat and tried to speak again.
"I'm sorry I won't be able to teach you to play anymore... but I know you'll be the best player in
Japan and I'll look forward to playing with you once you grow up,"

Tetsuya kept his head down and didn't give a sign that he was listening, nor did he give any
emotion at all-- his eyes clouded with hurt and brokenness.

Midorima ushered the other two to enter the living room and allowed them to have their goodbyes.
Kise almost toppled the toddler over when he tackled him with a hug and burst into tears.

"It's unfair!" Kise cried, "Unfair that they had to take you away..."

"Kise," Aomine stopped him.

"We're sorry we weren't the perfect family they wanted you to have, Tetsuya-cchi," Kise sniffed,
wiping his tears away. "But don't forget to visit us when you grow up, okay?"

Kise reached down and composed the ruffles on Tetsuya's clothes. "Mayuzumi-kun, please make
sure to tell Tetsuya-cchi bedtime stories whenever he gets scared," he said, blinking tears back. "It
helps him calm down,"

Mayuzumi took a few moments before answering. "I will,"

"Ne, Tetsu-cchin," Murasakibara said, kneeling in front of the toddler and handed him a Maiubo.
"Please make sure to brush your teeth after eating some snacks okay? Make sure to eat your
vegetables as well so you can grow up big and strong, okay?"
Despite his giant stature, Murasakibara was just as a cry-baby as Kise and in no time he excused
himself-- tears threatening to fall.

"Tetsuya," Midorima said, giving the toddler his "Romeo and Juliet" book. "When you grow older,
you will understand the words written in this novel and how sad it is to lose someone you love...
please know that it is the same loss we're feeling right now..."

It was Akashi's turn to say goodbye, but he took one look at Tetsuya and immediately broke
contact-- seeing Tetsuya's emotionless eyes was too much for him to handle. He turned to leave
and walked past Mayuzumi, "Please take care of him," he whispered.

***

Mayuzumi woke up when he felt something grip his shirt tightly. He slowly sat up and opened his
nightlight to see Tetsuya frowning in his sleep, his hand gripping Mayuzumi's shirt.

Sighing, Mayuzumi swept stray hair out of Tetsuya's face and wrapped him around in his arms,
humming a tune to help him calm down and try to chase his nightmares away.

"Nii-chan..." Tetsuya mumbled, a tear trickling down the corner of his eyes as he buried his face
towards Mayuzumi's shirt. "Don't go..."

Mayuzumi brushed his thumb on Tetsuya's cheeks, wiping his tears away. "You're an idiot, Seijuro
Akashi," he whispered.

Mayuzumi was able to have his chance to spend time with Tetsuya when he was still just a baby.
He and his mother used to stay with them and Mayuzumi acted as his older brother and made sure
to keep Tetsuya smiling.

He wanted to take care of Tetsuya like how he used to care for him when they were younger.
When they lost Tetsuya and his mother, he was so broken and afraid of what might've happened to
the toddler and almost lost his mind trying to find him. He was blinded by the fact that he wanted
to keep Tetsuya safe in his arms that he never saw how happy he was in Akashi's arms.

Until that day at the carnival when Tetsuya found out Akashi left to go to work. Despite the whole
day of enjoying, Akashi's absence was enough to wipe the smile off Tetsuya's face and that was
when Mayuzumi realized that if Tetsuya was happy with Akashi, then he would be happy for both
of them-- all for Tetsuya's sake.

"Take him back, Akashi," Mayuzumi muttered, rocking Tetsuya to a peaceful sleep. "Fight for
him... fight for your brother... prove me wrong,"
 Family

Tetsuya would've loved the sight of airplanes touching down at the runway. But he just looked at
them with no emotions at all while Mayuzumi held his hand and waited for their luggage to arrive
from the conveyer belt.

With the past events that happened, Tetsuya lost all his interest in drawing and went back to
becoming a lonely and broken child-- refusing to talk to anyone, his eyes reflecting no emotions at
all.

Despite forbidding them to visit, Mayuzumi broke his own words and allowed the others to pay
Tetsuya a visit-- attempting to bring the cheerful child in him again. But he was too broken to even
smile or play with Aomine and the others and would only stare at them blankly as they share
stories of the events that happens back at the mansion.

"Just a few more weeks," Mayuzumi informed Midorima when he came to visit Tetsuya with
Murasakibara. "A few more weeks and we'll be leaving for Europe,"

Midorima glanced at the toddler and Mayuzumi followed suit-- Murasakibara was introducing him
a new Maiubo flavor that the purple-haired giant learned to love after a few tastes.

"He still refuses to see him?" Mayuzumi asked.

Midorima shook his head. "He buries himself in work, refusing to sleep or even eat..." he said, "I
hardly ever see him take a break,"

"Is he trying to kill himself?"

"Probably," Midorima muttered. "If he did, it would make my job easier,"

Mayuzumi chuckled at Midorima's statement, but the small smile on his face faded instantly. He
now knew that Tetsuya meant everything to Akashi, and Tetsuya felt the same.

"Until that day," Mayuzumi said after a few moments of silence. "I'll give him until that day..."

Mayuzumi snapped out of his thoughts when he spotted their luggage and took them out of the belt.
"Come, Tetsuya," he said as he scooped the toddler up in his arms.

He looked back at the entrance of the airport and stay in that position, counting from one to ten--
waiting for Akashi to fight his way back to Tetsuya's life... to snatch him back... to tell Mayuzumi
to back off.

10...

9...

8...

Come on, Seijuro Akashi.

7...

6...
5...

Get your brother back.

4...

3...

2...

Bring him back home.

1...

Nothing. No redhead arrived at the airport to steal Tetsuya away from him, to yell at him to leave,
to fight for Tetsuya's happiness. Mayuzumi sighed silently and turned then took his first few steps,
pushing his trolley to the gateway.

"TETSUYA!"

Mayuzumi froze in his spot as he felt his lips curl into a smile. The idiot finally comes to his
senses.

Tetsuya's hug tightened around Mayuzumi's neck and whispered, "Nii-chan..." the first word
Tetsuya uttered after a long time.

Mayuzumi turned to see Akashi panting as he ran for them. He stopped just when he was an arms
reach, trying to catch his breath and compose himself.

"Mayuzumi..." Akashi sighed, panting slightly now. "Give me my brother back,"

Mayuzumi smirked. "And why should I, Seijuro Akashi?" he asked.

"Because..." Akashi hesitated but glanced at Tetsuya who clung to Mayuzumi like a lifeline. "That
kid in your arms... is a pain in the arse... he's stubborn and immature and has a habit of making his
big brother worried! He refuses to drink medicine whenever he's sick, he refuses to finish his
dinner and would cry whenever we force him to, he would refuse to talk whenever he's upset, he
would keep silent until he feels he wants to talk and until then you have to try and guess what he
wants, he'll keep on pouting until he gets his damned vanilla ice creams and he won't stop making
you feel guilty when you do something wrong!"

"But..." Akashi's tone softened and tears glistened in his eyes. "He's brave and strong and would
always find a way to smile again to keep his big brother happy. He is stubborn-- yes-- because he
will refuse to give up on you and would help you stand up again when you've fallen... and I would
give everything... just to have him back again. We may not be related by blood... but it doesn't
change the fact that we are brothers... we are family... and my home will never be complete
without Tetsuya,"

Mayuzumi kept a straight face as he put Tetsuya down. "What do you say, Tetsuya?" he asked.

Tetsuya looked up at Mayuzumi who smiled and ruffled his hair. In return, Tetsuya wrapped his
tiny arms around him-- burying his face at the crook of Mayuzumi's neck-- and had no intention of
letting go.

"Tetsuya..." Akashi said, dread enveloping him as he realized that Tetsuya didn't want to come
back anymore.

Akashi bowed his head. "H-have a safe trip, Mayuzumi," he said, not minding whether his voice
breaks or not because of the overwhelming hurt he felt in his chest.

He turned and started walking away, allowing his tears to stream down his face.

He had no regrets at all. He tried to fight back to keep Tetsuya, but it was he who chose to stay with
Mayuzumi and he knew he was at fault as well.

It was Akashi who lacked the time for him...

He didn't pay much attention to Tetsuya.

He didn't mind the fact that Tetsuya longed for him whenever he works until the dead of the night.

He didn't mind whether Tetsuya cried for him whenever he leaves for work.

He pushed Tetsuya away.

He deserves to get hurt like this.

He deserves to lose Tetsuya like this.

"Nii-chan!" Akashi froze when he heard the toddler's familiar voice.

Akashi felt himself turn and saw Tetsuya running for him-- tears in his eyes. He felt himself kneel
down and welcome Tetsuya in his arms as the toddler started to cry and tighten his grip on Akashi's
shirt.

"Nii-chan!" Tetsuya cried, "Don't go!"

Akashi wrapped his arms around the sobbing toddler, ignoring the stares they were starting to
attract. Something warm in him was starting to spread and it was making Akashi happy-- it was the
same feeling he had when he was with his mother. A warm feeling that spreads through Akashi that
made him smile despite the tears in his eyes. A warm feeling only Tetsuya could provide him-- the
warm feeling of unconditional love one can only get from one's family.
 Epilogue
Chapter Notes

I searched what the contents of a guardianship letter look like and decided to
improvise a letter of my own. Do not copy and use this for legal purposes. THIS IS
FICTIONAL WORK ONLY.

The sweet smell of food lingered across the whole Akashi mansion as Kise and Aomine decorated
the remaining parts of the living room with wreaths. Murasakibara was at the kitchen with
Midorima assisting him as they baked different kinds of sweets and goods for their Christmas Eve
dinner.

"Tetsuya," Akashi called as he scooped Tetsuya up in his arms. "Chihiro wanted to see you,"

"Ro-chan!" Tetsuya greeted with a wide smile as Akashi held the phone for Tetsuya to see
Mayuzumi as they shared a video call.

"You've grown, Tetsuya," Mayuzumi said with a smile. "And Akashi also told me you received a
good remark at school just before winter break, that's good!"

"Tetsuya's showing interest in arts," Akashi said as he sat down on the couch. "I think he'll pursue
Architecture or Fine Arts,"

"Isn't it a bit too soon to plan for that?" Mayuzumi said, making Akashi chuckle.

"Domo, Mayuzumi-cchi!" Kise said as he waved at Mayuzumi with a wide grin.

"Oy, Kise! Pay attention to attaching the wreath!" Aomine scolded.

"Hai, hai!" Kise answered and went back to work.

"It's starting to feel like Christmas there already," Mayuzumi said with a smile.

"Not to Tetsuya," Akashi said.

"Ro-chan!" Tetsuya called, "Come home,"

Mayuzumi smiled. "I wish I could, Tetsuya," he said, "But I can't drop everything to see you, I'm
not like your idiot of a brother,"

"Language," Midorima said as he emerged out of the kitchen. "Tetsuya is at the age where he can
absorb curse words and use them without knowing what they mean,"

Mayuzumi chuckled.

"Ro-chan," Tetsuya said with a smile. "M-Merry... C-Chris...mas!"

Mayuzumi smiled. "Merry Christmas to you too, Tetsuya," he said, "My present should be arriving
soon,"
 "You didn't have to," Akashi said.

"For Tetsuya, I would," Mayuzumi said, "Besides... it's the least I can do for almost stealing him
away from you,"

Akashi frowned. "What do you mean?"

Just then, an email popped up on Akashi's phone. "Was that you?" he asked, confused at the
confidential email he just received.

Mayuzumi smirked. "I better run now, Merry Christmas," he said and ended the call.

"What was that all about, Akashi?" Aomine asked once he was done decorating with Kise.

"Ne, ne, we still haven't put the star on the Christmas tree!" Kise said, "Tetsuya-cchi should be the
one to put it!"

"Agreed," Murasakibara said as he scooped Tetsuya up and put him on his shoulders while Kise
handed Tetsuya the star.

"Put it on top of the Christmas Tree, Tetsuya-cchi!" Kise said excitedly.

At this point, Akashi had opened the email he received from Mayuzumi and was frozen at his spot
as he read the lines of the documents attached to the said email.

I, Chihiro Mayuzumi, a resident of Kyoto, Japan for xxx years, certifies Seijuro Akashi, a resident
of Kyoto, Japan for xxx years, to be the legal guardian of the underaged Tetsuya Kuroko. Along
with this certification is the privilege given to Seijuro Akashi of having Tetsuya Kuroko in his full
custody as his immediate family member.

"Akashi?" Midorima called, seeing that Akashi had started to emit tears in his eyes.

"Nii-chan," Tetsuya called worriedly despite putting the star on the Christmas tree.

Akashi smiled, pulling Tetsuya in his arms. "Nii-chan is very happy," he whispered.

Family.

They were finally a family.

End Notes

I did not realize how short this was until I published it. Lol

Follow me on Twitter! @ngmtc_rrtm

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