As a kid, Aiba loved dinner time despite how embarrassing his family was. It was so loud and full of life that it seemed like there was always a small family party every night. He felt as if he had those American families he saw on TV dramas (that his mom loved to watch), having dinner every night while discussing about what they've done for the day, except his family was louder. Perhaps, it was his mother's influence because she watched way too many American TV during her free time, and he was kind of glad she did.Despite having many personal things to do and finish, somehow they all gathered up by the sound of his mother's voice, calling her small family to eat dinner.

The recollection of memories from the past made Aiba realize the lonely dinners, the late night fast foods, and the cups of tea he had for the nights he couldn't bring himself to cook. Dinner wasn't his mother's cooking that excited his tongue, and there wasn't anyone to make his nights seem like a party; but the oily fast foods and lonely, restless late night shifts became dinner for him. A lot has changed since he left, and he hadn't realized all of this if it weren't for Kazu.

"What are you thinking about?" Sakurai whispered and Aiba jumped up in surprise, slightly lifting the table up with him. He sighed in relief when he saw that no one noticed in between the usual loud and lively chatter in between his family members.

"Nothing," he smiled it off and picked Kazu up from his stroller.

"Were you thinking about your father?"

Aiba shook his head, taking note that Kazu needed to be fed as his mouth opened and closed like a fish. As he grabbed for Kazu's bottle, he gave Sakurai's words a thought and realized he his father hadn't crossed his mind since dinner began. But with the thought fresh in his mind, he dared a glance at his father and quickly looked away when his father glanced at Kazu. He couldn't tell at all what his father felt when he saw that he gave Kazu an interested and hard look, as if he was trying to figure out what species Kazu was. He wanted to tell his father that his son was human, and not some animal that has yet to be discovered, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. Somehow, his father's silence made him angry.

He suddenly stood up out of impulse and felt his appetite vanish into nowhere; the chatter stopped and all eyes were on him. He coughed awkwardly as he glanced from side to side, top to bottom before squeaking a small excuse to leave the table. He heard everyone call for him, except his father and it just helped him move faster out to the backyard. Once he was out of the house, and underneath the night sky, he sighed in relief.

"Grandpa doesn't like you," he chocked a sob as he brought Kazu closer to his chest and sat on the picnic table in the middle of the backyard. "He--"

"Masaki."

The sound of his father's voice interrupted him, and he quickly wiped away the tears on his cheeks. He never expected that it would be his father that came out, since it was more of his mother's or his brother's job.

"May I know his name?" His father asked, unexpectedly in a calm and gentle voice, once he was sat beside him.

"Kazunari..." he muttered without the enthusiasm he always had with him.

"How old is he?"

"Five weeks and a half..."

"May I hold him?"

His father's questions bewildered him and he finally looked at his father. Unlike before at dinner, his father gave Kazu a small shy smile and he could see how his eyes twinkled as they stared at Kazu. It was as if he was very happy to see him and that there was no one else in the world like Kazu. He didn't have to answer when his father's arms popped out and Aiba carefully handed Kazu to him. He stared in awe as his father talked to Kazu and played adored him like his mother had done to his son. His feelings of anger towards his father slipped away when he saw just how much his father enjoyed Kazu's presence.

"He looks like you," his father muttered quietly as he rocked the child back and forth in his arms.

"Pa, I--"

"I know," his father said as if he knew what he was going to say. "I'm just happy to have another addition to our family."

"So... you're not angry?"

"Masaki, love takes time. It doesn't mean that you have to find one right away. As long as your happy, let the time flow."

"Pa..." Aiba has never heard his father speak about love and happiness in the same sentence before that he couldn't help but gawk at his father in shock. He always thought that he was just a hard working man who loved his family and thought of nothing but work all the time. But at that moment, he was able to see a different side of his father and it must be why his mother agreed to marry such a workaholic man.

"Shall we go back?" His father asked and gave him his cooing son back.

"Yeah," he nodded and they both stood up. "I'm sorry I did that, pa."

"It's ok, Masaki. And since we're here talking right now, how about you move back in?"

He stopped walking and gave his father a surprised look. "Move back in? But I'm fine on my own."

"Just because you have a steady career Masaki, doesn't mean you can provide for Kazunari alone."

"But--"

"Your mother would love the idea."

"But--"

"Think of it as a family vacation."

"Pa, I--"

"That Sakurai-sensei, I wonder if he would like to join us as well, as a thank you for taking care of Masaki and Kazunari," his father mumbled to himself although Aiba could clearly hear him. When his father was in a deep thought and talked to himself, Aiba found impossible to speak to him. But when he heard that that Sakurai might be involved, his heart raced and butterflies fluttered in his stomach. He tried to shake the odd feeling away, but it didn't help when he remembered that the doctor was eating dinner with them. It worsened when he came back in and he saw the doctor smiling in relief as his eyes lingered on his face.

TBC