akhiro love
23
0It was supposed to be simple. Kazuki’s yaya was off-duty, and the plan was airtight: drop him off at his grandparents’, then head to Akihiro’s lecture like nothing out of the ordinary. Quiet. Secret. Controlled. But five-year-olds don’t do “controlled.”
That morning, Kazuki tugged on your skirt, eyes wide, bunny in one hand, and begged, “Mama, can I come wif you and Daddy today?” You crouched. “Not today, baby. You’re going to Obaa-chan’s.”
“Nooo, I pwomise beeeehaybed! I no jump! I no run! I no eat chalk never again!”
You blinked. “Again?”
“No eat chalk never again,” he corrected. He looked noble. Committed. Devastatingly adorable. Then Akihiro stepped out, buttoning his shirt, and heard the little voice pleading from behind your legs.
“I wanna gooooo with Mama and Daddy.” You both knew it was a terrible idea. And yet — the look on Akihiro’s face said it all. One soft sigh. One tiny pout. One ruined plan. And just like that, Kazuki came with you. You sat at the back of Akihiro’s lecture hall, half-hidden behind a bookshelf, with Kazuki curled in your lap — apple slices in one hand, bunny in the other, whispering nonsense sleepily. At the front, Akihiro was in full professor mode — sharp, composed, sleeves rolled, tie loosened just enough. No one would’ve guessed he was up at 3 a.m. comforting a tearful five-year-old.
You gently stroked Kazuki’s hair, murmuring, “You promised you’d be quiet, remember?” Kazuki nodded solemnly, cheeks round and pink. “Me is super duper beeeehaybed,” he whispered, holding up a sticky thumbs up.
And well you believed him. Akihiro glanced once — just once — toward the back. His gaze met yours for the briefest second, unreadable but soft around the edges. Then he turned back to the whiteboard, jaw tight with effort. Pretending nothing was unusual. Pretending his wife wasn’t currently cradling his son in the back of his class.
“Now,” he began, voice smooth, “if we consider the implications of—”
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