Little Moon

Chapter Four

"Me? How did I change your mind?" Kuroo stood up, standing close to Kei.

"You came back," Kei whispered, turning so that they were face to face, bodies only a breath apart.

"What do you mean?"

Kei shrugged a little. "Let's just say that seeing you again brought back everything I felt for you back in high school."

"Yeah. Same."

"I'm sorry I was rude to you the other day."

"Wait. Why are you apologizing? Rude?"

Dear god, the number of times these two left him stunned tonight was... well, he lost count. Still, Tetsuro wouldn't change it for the world. It was an amazing feeling, to be honest, and he loved it. He loved them.

Tetsuro realized he'd placed his arms around Kei's waist, hands resting lightly on the small of his back. Perhaps it was an impulsive move. Or maybe it was instinctive. Whichever, he was holding Kei loosely in his arms, and it felt good. He didn't want to let go. Ever. Still, they'd only just reconnected. This was the first night they'd spent any amount of time together since they were in school, and that wasn't for too long, either.

Still, Kei had always had a place in his mind, and heart. And, if he were to believe what he was told a couple hours ago, Kei had been harboring his own feelings toward him.

"I ran away," Kei admitted quietly. "I left right after I told you who Eru was to me."

"But..."

Kei gently placed his hand over Tetsuro's mouth. "No, I ran away. I was scared. I'd kept our lives in a small bubble, and you finding out about her burst it. My first instinct was to run, and hope I'd never see you again. I'm sorry."

Tetsuro gathered Kei into his arms, holding him gently, yet firmly.

"Don't apologize. Not for that. You were doing what you thought you needed to do in order to keep Eru safe."

"You wouldn't hurt her," Kei protested.

"No, I wouldn't. But you didn't know that. All you knew of me was our time during those camps. Several years have passed. For all you knew, I could have been the... the Big Bad Wolf."

They stared at each other for a few moments, and then Kei broke first, trying not to laugh and failing. Tetsuro smirked, then smiled, and finally joined him. They laughed and held each other. And perhaps the happiness, the joy, and the closeness all contributed to their first kiss. A sweet one, just long enough to tempt them into more, but it ended before it could go further.

"Daddy?"

Tetsuro let Kei go, and watched as he went to his daughter, who was at the door, rubbing her eyes. It also looked like she woke up crying. Tetsuro wanted to go to her, too, but knew this was Kei's place as her dad.

"What's wrong, baby? Did you have a bad dream?" Kei brushed back the hair from her face. He turned to Tetsuro and asked quietly, "could you get me a cool, damp, towel?"

"No problem." And he snapped into action, only to stop a few moments later. "Ummm..."

Kei chuckled. "In the pantry, on the shelf to your left." Tetsuro almost passed it. "Stop. Turn left."

Tetsuro felt his face heat, but he opened the pantry, found a towel, and took it to the sink. He turned on the cold water, and ran it under the water stream, and then wrung it out. Turning off the water, he brought the towel to Kei, and knelt beside him. Just in case.

Kei thanked him and lightly pressed the towel to Eru's face. She squirmed a bit, trying to move away, but Kei held her firmly, assuring her it was alright, and the towel would help cool off her face. She settled down and let him finish, and then Kei passed the towel back and picked up his little girl. He turned to face Tetsuro, who also stood up.