Triple Trouble {KuroKen}

Chapter 6

Kenma's POV:

I wasn't expecting Keiji to be here. I didn't like to say that I'd run away from my old life, but when it came down to it, that's exactly what I did. I didn't want to see anyone I used to know anymore – not even Shouyou. All they did was look at me with that same pitying stare I'd gotten so sick of.

Why wouldn't they let me run away?

My shoulders slumped as I stared down at the empty cradle. While the other two had fallen asleep, Daiki hadn't; he was a very stubborn baby. With him in my arms, I went and sat down in the small rocking chair in the corner of the room; they'd really gotten all this stuff quickly.

He squirmed slightly, but eventually gave up when I started rocking. I made sure the door was closed before I started humming softly, absentmindedly. I closed my eyes; memories were rushing in, one by one. Memories I'd tried so hard to keep locked away.

"Why? You're not good enough for me anymore."

I sighed, forcing myself to focus on Daiki despite the fatigue pulling at my eyes. I wished I could play a game, but I had to put him to sleep first. I started humming again, only just realizing that I had stopped. The little guy looked up at me, and for the first time since I'd first met him, his pouty face broke into a smile.

He reached up and grabbed for my face, but his little arms were too short to reach. I brought up my spare hand, and he latched onto my index finger. I smiled down at him. "You're just shy, aren't you?" I whispered, he giggled softly – that was a first, too. "Time to sleep now, okay?"

He made some incoherent baby noises, and soon enough, with the soft rocking and the gentle humming, he fell asleep. Thank goodness. I stayed there for a while even after he'd fallen asleep – would Keiji be over more often? He was Kuroo's best-friend's boyfriend... I'd probably be seeing him a lot more than I had these last few months.

I took a deep breath; as long as he didn't bring him up I'd be fine. Probably. I bit my lip.

"You're so unlovable! I don't know what I was thinking."

I sat up straight, squeezing my eyes shut and shaking my head. No, I wouldn't think about him. I stood, and, as quietly and gently as I could, I placed Daiki in his crib. Making sure the baby monitor was on, I silently left the room, closing the door behind me.

Leaning against it, I sighed. No matter how easy to handle babies were compared to adults, I was still drained from that over-exuberant friend of Kuroo's – he'd only been over for maybe an hour, but that hour had lasted a lifetime.

I sincerely hoped I would never have to spend that long in the same room as him again – no disrespect to Keiji. I really liked him – he was quiet, and he was probably the colleague I was closest to back when I was still working with him. We both understood the beauty of silence.

How he'd ended up with a man as excitable as that one, I wasn't sure, but... I was happy for him, because no matter how draining and irritating he was, he seemed like a very decent guy. Someone who wouldn't betray him no matter what.

That... that's what I thought I had, too.

With a sigh I walked away from the door and headed towards my own room, which was only one door down. Surprisingly, the manor wasn't nearly as big as it had seemed; it was a comfortable size, and although most people didn't have an indoor pool or a gym or quarters for the overnight security team, those were about the only three things that separated it from being a normal house.

It was really surprising; Obsidian Games was one of the biggest gaming companies in the world – and Kuroo was their CEO. All the games he'd released had been instant bestsellers, even the one he'd made himself as a teenager – the first game they'd ever released.

Although I never admitted it, I'd always admired him. I'd always been... envious of his tenacity, at the fact that he could take such a big risk and take a leap of faith on something that might not even work. I'd always been envious that he'd had the guts to chase his dreams.

The guts I'd never have.

I sat down at the desk in the room – which was much bigger than the room I'd had back at my apartment, and opened my laptop. I stared at the blank screen for a minute before I took a deep breath and opened it. My hands trembled as I set them down on the keys.

"You think anybody would want to read this? Please, Kenma, don't embarrass yourself, okay?"

I gritted my teeth; I could do it. I could do it if I tried, it didn't matter what he said about it. Although I hadn't touched this project in months... maybe...

I closed the laptop.

~#~#~#~#~#~

I woke up the following morning at seven – for the third time. The babies were pretty good at sleeping through the night; they'd only woken up crying twice. It reminded me very much of the days when my little sister was a baby.

I walked into their room, and found Asami and Chiaki awake in their cribs, bumbling about. Meanwhile, Daiki was fast asleep, soft snores echoing around the room. I don't think I'd ever heard a baby snore like that. I shook my head as I picked up the two girls, clipping the baby monitor to my pocket and walking down the stairs.

Turning on the TV and flipping it to the baby channel, I settled the two girls down on the couch in their protective cushion fortress; we really needed to get those baby swing things, so at least I would know they wouldn't topple over the edge of the couch and get me fired.

I went back upstairs to pick up Daiki, gently waking him; he needed his diaper changed, that was for sure. I sighed and shook my head as I scooped him up and took care of that mess; after years of practice, I was hardly fazed anymore.

With him in my arms, grumpy as always but in a new clean diaper, I brought him into the living room.

"I already told you to cancel all my meetings this week. Yes, I already sent apology emails. No, the reasons are personal and frankly none of your business." I poked my head into the kitchen only to witness Kuroo with an apron tied around him, massaging the bridge of his nose as he spoke on the phone pressed against his ear with his shoulder, cooking something on the stove.

That was what multitasking looked like.

I could still hear him when I went to the living room, placing Daiki down on his makeshift seat. "I'm not coming in to work for the rest of the week, I've already told you this. If any of them have issues with it, tell them to call me and I'll explain it to them." He sighed in what sounded like exasperation as I took my own seat on the couch, pulling my knees up to my chest and watching the vibrant shapes flit across the screen.

He walked into the living room, and smiled. I nodded in acknowledgement and looked away. "Good morning," he said before turning to crouch down in front of the babies and ruffling what little hair they had. Asami giggled, Chiaki did absolutely nothing, but Daiki made a sound of protest.

Kuroo chuckled as he stared down at them. He turned to look up at me. "The longer they're here, the more I get used to them. But it's still so... surreal." He said it almost like it was an afterthought, something he hadn't really meant to say aloud, but he just chuckled again and stood. "I hope you're hungry, because I just finished making breakfast."

A/N: How are y'all doing during quarantine? Hope you guys are safe <3