the biggest 'ok hear me out' yet (what if Shiro ran a daycare?)

TW: Panic Attack, Trauma/PTSD, Military Trauma, Flashbacks

I got out of my car and walked to the front of the fancy rich-people country club. The kids slowly trickled over to meet me, permission slips in hand, until everyone had arrived. I was about to figure out how to enter when Keith stopped me.

"Adam's on his way, remember?" He asked. Shoot. I had already forgotten that Adam was coming. What was I meant to do? This would be the first time I would be seeing him since I realized that I may or may not want to be with him.

"Oh, uh, yeah, but I figured he'd meet us in there," I said, walking that way. Coran stopped me. "I'm the one with the membership, remember? Adam can't go in without me, and neither can you guys." He said. I gave up and waited for Adam to arrive. I was pacing on the sidewalk nervously, unable to sit still. Keith snickered, but I ignored him.

"Are you okay?" One of the kids asked. I didn't respond. "Yeah, he's fine. He's just... nervous." Keith said. I decided to change topics before any of the kids could ask why.

"So... Coran, how do you have a membership here?" I asked. "My parents." He said. His parents must've been rich, then, because wow. This had to be the fanciest place in the state.

We waited for a couple more minutes before Adam arrived. My jaw dropped. His eyes seemed to sparkle and his hair was brushed back in just the right way. The sunset behind him perfectly captivated the moment. He looked incredible.

I quickly collected myself and led the kids inside. He hadn't noticed, had he? Probably not. He was probably too far away to see me. Then again, I could see him, so who knew? Still, hopefully, he hadn't.

Coran showed the security guard his membership card and the guard looked up, confused. "You guys are all... family?" He asked. Keith nodded, and before I could interject, said, "Oh, yeah. Coran's my cousin, and these are all my siblings. We're all adopted. These are my dads." What he said took a second to click. WAIT, WHAT? But I couldn't say anything now or we'd look suspicious. The guard nodded, "Go along then." We followed Coran to the area where the fireworks were taking place.

The fireworks. I had honestly forgotten about them. I could see them set up a few hundred yards away from us. Panic surged through me momentarily, but I pushed it down. I couldn't break down in front of the kids. I simply couldn't.

The kids ran ahead of Adam and me, cheering and laughing. I just decided to keep my mouth shut. The less I said, the less likely I was to say something stupid. Adam didn't say much either. It worked for a while... until the fireworks started. I had managed to preoccupy my mind with not messing up in front of Adam until I heard the first firework go off. It was loud.

I flinched. Adam looked over at me. "Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded. My mouth was dry. Boom. Another one went off. I felt myself flinch again. I couldn't help it. Boom. Boom.

I couldn't stay here. I had to get out. I caught Hunk's eye by chance. He shot me a thumbs-up. Boom. I turned around and searched for the door to the country club. It was worse when I turned. Boom. Boom. Boom. I couldn't see them, so my brain couldn't process that they were actually fireworks.

"Takashi, are you okay?" Adam asked again. I ran. I ran in the other direction. Boom. Boom. Tears pricked my eyes. Nobody seemed to bother me as I ran into the club. It was deserted. Everyone was outside watching the so-called spectacle. Boom.

I sprinted to a random room where it was quieter and sat down. My vision blurred. I couldn't control my breathing. Tears streamed down my face. I couldn't think. The fireworks became louder. More frequent. More urgent. More like gunshots.

I vaguely heard someone opening the door, but I couldn't focus on it. The fireworks. They sounded eerily close to gunshots. They reminded me too much of--