It was already getting late and the children was starting to nod off. They woke up startled whenever their grandfather talked in a loud voice and laughed loudly like an insane man. Seeing this, Aiba decided it was time to go back home and put his son in his comfortable crib. Though, honestly wanted to stay longer to catch up with his familys' lives, but the decision was for the good of his son. After they shared one last laughter together, Aiba stood up, stretched and announced that his leave at the same time Sakurai did too.

"Your room is always open," his mother pouted as she walked him and Sakurai to the front door.

Aiba rolled his eyes. "You just want to play with Kazu, ma. He needs his sleep and he's been out all day."

She groaned in defeat, letting Aiba know that he was right. "Fine. Drive safely. And it was nice meeting you Sakurai-sensei."

"It was nice meeting you too, Aiba-san and I'm looking forward to spending summer vacation with your family."

"Skedaddle on back home now," she hummed after nodding in response to Sakurai. Aiba saw the look she had on her face earlier she pulled earlier, but he decided to ignore it when she smiled widely and gently pushed the both of them out the house as if she no longer needed them. "I expect you to be here tomorrow, Masaki!" His mother yelled as they both neared the parking lot and Aiba couldn't help but let a groan when he saw people passing by look at them. His mom was an amazing woman, but she had no shame in herself.

It was a silent walk and there was no sounds except Kazu's shuffling in the stroller. Earlier during dinner, his father had asked Sakurai right away if he wanted to be a part of their family vacation this year, and the man accepted it right away. During that time, Aiba wanted to say 'no' for the man, but it was rude and it would seem like he hated Sakurai when he-- Aiba couldn't bring himself to continue his thought since he actually didn't know what words to use about how he felt about the man. Was it a heart-racing-butterfly-in-the-stomach feeling? That was all Aiba could come up with for now.

"I actually took the taxi," Sakurai confessed once they were standing in front of Aiba's car.

Aiba snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of the late night traffic and Sakurai's voice. "Oh, then I'll drive you home."

"No, I will," Sakurai said. "You have to look out for Kazu late this night and be there for him."

He glanced at his son who was peacefully asleep and decided that Sakurai was right. His parents, his little brother, and his sister-in-law all told him earlier that driving alone at night while his son was unattended was bad parenting and it would show that he was the neglectful type. It would hurt him if he had done that and left Kazu all to himself as he grew up. He quickly fished for his keys and felt it in one of his pockets buried in the bottom. He handed it to Sakurai without looking at him, afraid that the odd feeling might come back again, but he looked up when he felt the man's fingers brush against his. Startle, he quickly pulled away and the key fell to the dark cement ground.

"Sorry, I--"

"It's ok," Sakurai chuckled and bent to pick up the key. "Put Kazu in his safety seat and sit in the back with him."

"O-ok..." Aiba mumbled and obeyed the man's words. Once Kazu was safely in his seat and he on his own, Sakurai got in and the engine...

It was a peaceful ride and Aiba found himself falling asleep as he listened to Kazu's deep breaths. He dreamt about having a wonderful family life and he could see that everyone in his dream had changed: his parents had gray hairs and wrinkles on their faces, his brother and sister-in-law stood proudly next to their teenage son, and he stood besides a teenage Kazu as well with Sakurai-- He woke with a start when his dream zoomed into Sakurai standing besides him and his son as if he was a part of their family too. In the dream, though, he remembered seeing two golden bands on their wedding fingers. Aiba gasped. Perhaps--

"Did I wake you up?" A voice spoke and Aiba glanced to his side. He saw Sakurai laid down besides Kazu, fanning his son with a makeshift paper fan. Something was odd and he hadn't realized it until he sat up and looked around: he was back home with Kazu. "It's ok, babe, go back to sleep." When he heard Sakurai say the word 'babe' his eyes widened and he saw that there was a golden band on his wedding finger. Also, he noticed that Kazu was a toddler and began to lose most of his baby fats. He panicked, realizing how much time he had lost and hadn't even noticed the time go by fast. As he tried searching for answers, however, he heard Sakurai's worried voice and the room began to shake wildly.

Aiba opened his eyes and he saw Sakurai just inches in front of him with a worried look on his face. He jolted a bit in surprise but was unable to move because the man held him steadily by the shoulder. "Aiba-san, you were having a nightmare," Sakurai told him.

A nightmare? Aiba shook his head. "It wasn't a nightmare, Sho-san."

"But you were moving around a lot and I had to wake you up."

"Well..." Aiba glanced to his sides and silently sighed in relief when he saw that there wasn't a ring on Sakurai's finger, but he felt somewhat empty that there wasn't. "It wasn't anything serious. I-I have dreams like that all the time," he lied, hoping that Sakurai won't push him into telling him what kind of dream it was.

Sakurai released his grip and sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. Anyways, we're in front of your home, Aiba-san."

"Oh, right," he was about to unstrap Kazu out of the seat when he stopped and turned to face the doctor. "How are you getting home?"

"I have a confession to make Aiba-san."

Sakurai's unexpected words got his heart beating fast. Every second that ticked by, he wondered what the man was going to confess and his mind went back to his dream. The golden wedding ring bands, Kazu having another parent, and the three of them lived together...

"I took a whole three months off, and it began today. I've decided I was going to spend my first day of vacation getting to know you and Kazunari-chan more."

What's what supposed to mean?! Aiba's heart raced faster and faster as his cheeks became as hot as boiling water. The day was already coming to an end and what Sakurai's trying to say might mead that--

"If you don't mind," Sakurai showed him a bag he had in his hand that Aiba hadn't noticed he had, "I'd like to sleep here for tonight."

His mouth opened into a wide O and his body felt like jelly and all the nerves popped into liquid. Everything in his body, though, made tiny little excited zaps that ran all over his veins and into his heart. He couldn't say anything as words refused to come out, but he found himself nodding only once...

Aiba felt like he was back in high school again when he set up two futons in his living room, aside the crib that he and Sakurai pulled out from his bedroom. The arrangement was that he was supposed to sleep in his room with Kazu in his crib, but his mouth moved on their own and suggested that they all sleep in the living room. And since Sakurai already agreed, he couldn't back out of his own words. Once Kazu was tucked under his yellow blanket, he and Sakurai went to their own futons and Aiba faced the couch so he wasn't looking at Sakurai.

He tried to go to sleep, tried counting sheep, tried listening to Kazu's heavy breathing, but nothing helped at all; even forcing himself to feel tired failed. Instead, he kept his eyes open wide and stared at the white leather couch in front of him. It was boring and uninteresting that his body, slowly and without realizing it, turned around until he was facing Sakurai. The man was already asleep and he breathed as heavily as Kazu. His eyes under his eyelids moved rapidly, and Aiba could see that he slept with half opened lids. He couldn't help but laugh a little, thinking about how silly he looked, yet Aiba still found him... attractive. Without thinking, he pulled his hands from out of his blankets and trailed ghost lines on his face. He laughed again when the man's eyes opened a little, but his laugh caused him to touch the man's skin.

Tiny little excited sensations rushed from the tip of his finger to all over his body, making it feel as if it was electric. He realized, as he kept staring at the man's face, how closer they were and that he was the only person that made him feel excited. Just as he was about to touch his face again, he something slither into his blankets and an arm circle around his waist. Aiba's heart completely died out of strange happiness as the arm pulled him in closer. Maybe, he thought, Sho-san has a grabbing habit when he sleeps. Shrugging it off, Aiba closed his eyes and he found it easier to fall asleep this way. However, he didn't realize that as he moved closer to the man's chest, that Sakurai smiled.

END