Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Keiji sighed and turned off the TV, tossing the remote aside. He pushed himself up and walked towards his bedroom, surveying the mess. He hadn’t cleaned since Bokuto came over. Shaking his head, he bent down to gather the clothes scattered on the floor, tossing them into a nearby basket. 

Suddenly, he stopped. 

Bokuto’s sweater. 

He looked at it carefully, remembering that night. Inviting Kotarou had been a mistake. He knew they’d do things he’d regret. He held up the sweater, inhaling its familiar scent. He smiled, then tossed the sweater onto his bed, picking up the basket and taking it to the laundry room. As he loaded the washer, he thought about Kuroo, Kenma, and—

He froze. 

Furrowing his eyebrows and biting his lip, he closed the washer and ran back to his room. Slowly, he approached his desk and picked up a framed photo. Gazing at it, he gasped.

“That’s it,” he whispered to himself. “It’s perfect.”

Tsukishima got out of his car and unlocked the door to his house. 

“Hey, Tadashi.”

As he took off his shoes and set down his keys, he heard a crashing noise from deeper in the house. 

“You okay?” he called, walking towards the noise.

He hesitated before opening the door. When he finally did, he sighed at the scene before him. 

“Tadashi.”

Tadashi jumped, turning around. His face softened when he saw who it was. 

“Oh, Kei. Hi.”

Kei chuckled and kissed him. He smiled and looked around at the mess. Toys littered the floor, and plushies were scattered everywhere.

“What’re you doing?”

Tadashi sighed, glancing around before looking back at his husband. 

“She couldn’t find her toy. That little bear Akiteru gave her that she’s obsessed with. She’s been crying for hours.” He turned around and started searching through a bin. He sighed again, muttering, “And I have work.”

Tsukishima smiled and hugged him from behind. 

“Relax, I got this. Just go to work,” he whispered in his ear, kissing him on the cheek. 

Tadashi bit his lip. “Yeah?”

“Mhm. I love you.”

Tadashi turned around and gently kissed him. “I love you too.”

Akaashi grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and unbuckled his seatbelt. His hand hovered over the door handle as he watched the scene. He waited until he saw someone leave the house. As soon as the car disappeared from sight, he opened the door and slowly walked up to the house. When he reached the door, he took a deep breath and knocked. After a minute, the door cracked open. 

“Akaashi, hi. What’re you doing here?”

Keiji smiled. “Hey, Tsukishima. I just wanted to pay you a visit. May I come inside?”

Kei looked uneasy, glancing back into the house before inhaling.

“Sure. But be quiet. Jun’s sleeping.”

He turned around, leaving the door open for Akaashi to follow. Keiji smirked, following him inside and closing the door behind him.

“Of course.”

They walked into the kitchen, Tsukishima gesturing towards a barstool. Keiji sat down, and Kei stood across from him. Akaashi’s eyes wandered to a knife discarded on the table. He looked at it for a moment before Kei noticed and grabbed the knife, putting it away in a drawer.

“Sorry, I was about to cut fruit for Jun,” Kei said.

Akaashi didn’t respond, just stared at the drawer.

“You good?”

Akaashi looked up into Kei’s eyes. “Yeah,” he reassured him. He took a moment of silence before looking towards the hall behind them. “Where’s the bathroom?”

Tsukishima looked at the hall wearily and bit his lip. 

“Down the hall and to the left.”

Keiji walked down the hall without another word. Once he reached the bathroom, he locked the door and started looking around. He pulled on gloves from his bag and began opening drawers and cabinets, rummaging through them. Finally, he grabbed a metal nail file and turned it around a few times. 

“This’ll have to do,” he muttered, unlocking and exiting the room. 

He carefully walked back towards Kei as quietly as he could. Once behind him, he drove the file into his back. Tsukishima gasped and turned around, eyes wide, then ran deeper into the kitchen, fumbling with the child lock on the drawer. Akaashi muttered something to himself before following and stabbing him from behind again. Kei gasped again, gripping the marble counters to keep himself up. He turned around, locking eyes with Akaashi.

“W-what’re—” he started but couldn’t continue. Tears fell down his face. 

Keiji scoffed, prying Tsukishima’s fingers off the counter and watching him fall limply. He looked down at him.

Tsukishima opened his eyes and muttered, “Please—my—Jun….”

Keiji shook his head and bent down, pressing a finger to Kei’s lips.

“Shh... She’s sleeping.”

Tsukishima sobbed silently, closing his eyes once again. His features relaxed as he slumped down. Akaashi smiled and left the house. He got in his car and started the engine.

“One thing out of the way,” he said, setting up his phone.

Then he drove off.