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When Shiro attended the pre-school year parent/teacher conference, the thing he was most concerned about was explaining to the teacher how… interesting Keith’s behavior can be. Keith, who is a second grader, had been expelled from two schools previously for fighting with other students (like, full on fights where Keith had to be pulled off of whoever he had gone after). While these fights were usually for valid reasons, such as Keith being bullied for being an orphan (because what’s more funny than making fun of a kindergartener or first grader for his parents being dead?) or for his general standoffish demeanor.
Keith had come with him to the meeting, his arms crossed and face painted with a scowl as they waited for the teacher to grab them. They had to wait in the hallway while other parents were speaking.. which made sense but it also terrified Shiro that he wouldn’t be able to see the teacher until they walked into the room. Shiro, who has levels of anxiety unknown to man, liked to prepare himself for speaking to people. Not knowing someone’s name, besides a last name, and not being able to place a face to the name is one of the scariest things that Shiro can imagine.
Okay, not actually, but it does scare him a lot more than it should..
What if .. teacher Wright was mean? When Shiro got the assignment for Keith’s second grade teacher all it had said was “Wright 104,” which answered absolutely no questions about who the hell this teacher was other than the classroom they taught in.
“Thank you for dropping by,” Shiro hears a voice say, getting louder as they approach the door. It opens and a woman walks out with a young girl at her side.
“Thank you! I look forward to seeing you more. My girl’s in good hands.”
A laugh, one that gives Shiro butterflies. God, that is so embarrassing..
“You’re too kind, ma’am. You two have a good afternoon. I’ll see you both next week Monday for the first day of school.”
The woman and her daughter walk away from the door. A few moments later, a head pops out from the doorway.
”Are you my next appointment?” the man asks.
Shiro wishes his mouth would work to speak. The man in front of him is gorgeous. Brown, curly hair.. Glasses resting carefully on the bridge of his nose, hazel eyes meeting Shiro’s own gray ones.
“Uhm— Yes! Yes, sorry, I’m.. I’m Takashi Shirogane and this is my son Keith Shirogane-Kogane. It’s nice to meet you,” Shiro is quick to his feet, hand out for the Mr. Wright to shake.
The man shakes Shiro’s hand with a smile, “Adam Wright. Nice to meet you, too. Come on in!”
Shiro and Keith walk into the classroom and Shiro hears the door close behind them. His eyes roam around the room and he finds himself smiling at the decorations hung up. There are some that he recognizes from when he was younger, specific number lines specifically. They have the exact same design, same colors and font and everything from when he was Keith’s age.
Adam sits at his desk, gesturing to the chairs on the opposite side.
”I am required to do these meetings, so we don’t really need to talk about school. I would like to cover some of the basic things that you need to know, but other than that I don’t have anything else. Little Keith can find his desk if he’d like after we are done with the things he needs to hear.”
Shiro sits across from Adam and tries his best to listen as the man speaks. His voice is so rich..
He struggles.
Adam tells Keith and Shiro the important dates and places to look for information, field trips that the class will be going on, the main topics that will most likely be focused on during the course of the year.. And Shiro processes almost none of it.
”Do you have any questions, Mr. Shirogane?” Adam asks.
”Takashi,” Shiro corrects, “Or.. Uhm, Shiro. Shiro is what people call me.”
”Which.. Okay, Shiro, do you have any questions?”
Shiro shakes his head. Adam gestures to the classroom, “Feel free to look around, ask any questions you may have. I am an open book.. about most things.”
Keith is immediately on his feet, walking away from Shiro and Adam. He looks for his desk then sits at it, glaring at the Smartboard
“So.. I do have a few things to share with you about Keith,” Shiro looks at Adam then decides to look above Adam so that he doesn’t look into Adam’s eyes and overthink everything, “He is considered a problem child. He gets into fights, he struggles to make friends.. Keith has been expelled from a couple of schools before landing here.”
“Hmm.. Good to know, thank you. Anything else?”
”If you ever need to reach out about issues with Keith, you can call or text me. I’ll respond asap.”
”Again, good to know. I will be sure to let you know if there are any concerns,” Adam pauses then asks, “What do you do?”
”I’m a Ph.D. student, so I mostly focus on taking the different courses I need for my program.”
Now this is something that Shiro can talk about without thinking about the hot man in front of him being the person he is talking to.
”A Ph.D. huh? You must be pretty smart.”
”I suppose.”
”What are you going for?”
”Chemistry, I want to be a professor.”
”Do you do student teaching now?”
”Yeah. I started doing that during the second year of my master’s program and I’ve been teaching Chem 101 ever since.”
”Chemistry was never my thing which made me sad, I wanted to be good at it.”
”I’ll teach you.”
”Yeah?” Adam’s tone turned playful and Shiro watches as Adam glances to look at Keith before lowering his voice, “How will you do that?”
Shiro can feel his face turn warm but he isn’t sure why. It’s not like Adam is flirting with him. Shiro is just… projecting feelings where there are none. Shiro glances to the side, “I don’t know what you mean.”
”Hm.. Alright,” Adam leans back in his chair, “First day of class, if you want to come in and help Keith carry his supplies then you can. You have the list of things he needs to bring?”
”Is it the same list that was at the store?”
”Yes, I don’t believe anything changed from that. Do you want to compare lists?”
Shiro nods, unfolding the paper from his pocket and setting it on the desk. He brought it with, hoping to compare and additionally, because Keith has been completely against going school shopping, forcing him to the store afterwards to finally pick up the materials they need. Adam and Shiro look between the lists for a few moments before Adam hums.
”It says you need to bring one box of markers. I recommend two on my sheet. I also recommend extra boxes of colored pencils and crayons. They will be using those a lot during our math block. Oh, and they do not need a protractor,” Adam says then proceeds to mumble, “Why would second graders need one of those?”
”You also recommend more glue,” Shiro points out, “I thought the amount they said was weird. I remember using a ton of glue when I was in elementary school.”
”Oh, yes. Get an additional bottle and another two or four pack of glue sticks. I’ll keep them in my office labeled with Keith’s name.”
”Awesome. Anything else?” Shiro asks.
Adam shakes his head, “No, I don’t think so.”
“When is your next meeting?”
Adam checks his watch and frowns, “Right now. It was nice meeting you and Keith. Thank you for the warning regarding his behavior. I will reach out if it becomes an issue within my classroom.”
”Thank you,” Shiro folds the list of materials and pockets it, “We will see you next week.”
”I look forward to it,” Adam smiles, and Shiro attempts to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.
—
“Keith has been incredibly disruptive during class,” Adam’s voice says as Shiro puts his phone on speaker, “and I have tried to handle this within the classroom and with the school counselor but.. it has reached a point that we need to have a meeting about his behavior.”
Shiro sighs, “Yes, of course. I apologize for him, he struggles with… a lot.”
”I’ve noticed. When are you free to meet with me?”
”Does it have to be at the school?”
”Preferably, yes.”
”Are you on lunch right now?” Shiro asks.
”No. The kids are in specials. My lunch is in about an hour. Do you want to drop by then?”
”If that would be alright, yeah.. I could talk to Keith after he gets into the room.”
”They have recess right after lunch and I’m not on recess watch today. You’d either have to pull him from recess or wait until he is back.”
”Uhmm..”
”He tends to sit alone against the wall. If that changes your opinion on pulling him inside.”
”God..” Shiro whispers. He closes the book he was taking notes from and leans his head against his hand. Repeating the previous years.. No friends, bullied, alone.. Shiro has a horrific feeling of guilt in his chest. It isn’t his fault that Keith is treated the way he is, but he feels responsible anyway.
Maybe he should just home school Keith..
”I’ll be waiting in the office for you in an hour. I’ll see you then?”
”Yes. Yeah, see you then.”
When Adam hangs up, Shiro’s forehead hits the desk in front of him and he groans. After a few moments of light self-loathing, he attempts to take notes once again but struggles to focus on anything other than Keith. How is he supposed to help Keith?? He tried therapy and Keith completely refused to speak to the therapist then the second time he tried to bring Keith there the kid screamed and bit Shiro.
Shiro attempted a third time and Keith threatened to run away which, after hearing stories from previous homes, Shiro knew was not an empty threat. As much as Shiro really wanted to get Keith help, he wanted to keep Keith safely in the house even more. Adopting Keith was not a choice he took lightly. It was influenced by weeks of talking to people and lawyers and those around him. It took a fight with his landlord for Keith to be allowed to live in the house, and the landlord had attempted to raise Shiro’s rent. The landlord did not get away with that.
The odds of Shiro adopting a son were zero for almost all of his life. But when he heard that his estranged dad had adopted Keith then decided he didn’t want Keith anymore… Shiro couldn’t let Keith go back into the system. He heard through his cousins and a distant sister that his dad was planning on dropping the kid off where “he got him from” and that he “didn’t care what happened to him.”
When Shiro saw a picture of the kid, a little kindergartener with a scowl and overgrown hair, he had an immediate attachment to him. Shiro had never had this happen, he never wanted children before. But now…
It was a long process, it took until halfway through Keith’s first grade year, for full custody to transfer to Shiro.
Shiro sometimes wonders if this is part of why Keith was so exceptionally poorly behaved in that year. He had already been off from what Shiro heard from his family before he had properly met Keith. He heard stories about Keith’s attitude and the way he was treated at school. And Shiro was hoping that a stable household would help the kid begin to heal and open up to those around him.
He was wrong.
It’s been over a year since Keith started living with Shiro. The second that Shiro showed interest in adopting Keith, Shiro’s father had dropped the kid off at Shiro’s apartment and left him there. From then on, Keith’s parenting came almost completely from Shiro.
Keith’s wellbeing quickly became the thing Shiro cared about most in the world. Of course he cared about his education and teaching, but everything Shiro did was to ensure Keith’s safety and security.
“I’m here to meet with Mr. Wright,” Shiro says into the little speaker at the door of Keith’s school, “I’m Keith Shirogane-Kogane’s dad.”
”Come sign in at the office,” the lady at the front desk says as she buzzes Shiro in.
Just as Adam said, he is waiting in the office for Shiro. He is leaning against a counter, arms crossed, eyes trained on Shiro as he approaches the desk to sign in.
”Hello, Shiro,” Adam greets.
”Mr. Wright,” Shiro acknowledges, “thank you for letting me meet with you.”
”Of course. Follow me,” Adam says, nodding to the office lady before walking in the direction of his classroom. Shiro walks beside Adam, fingers anxiously tapping against his thighs.
He forgot how attractive Adam looks…
”How are you today, Shiro?” Adam asks.
”I was in a note taking void when you called, so not great. I’ve been doing research for my dissertation.”
”Sounds scary.”
”It.. is. If it’s bad, they can deny me graduation from the program.”
”Really?”
”Yeah..” Shiro coughs, “Anyway, how are you?”
”My class has been very… chaotic today. You are not the only call home I have made today, and you are not the last one either. You are the only person who asked for a meeting today though, which I appreciate as it will be one less thing to deal with at a later date.”
Shiro nods, unsure what to say to that.
Adam unlocks his classroom and walks in. He sits on the edge of his desk beside the chair that Shiro presumes he is meant to sit in. Shiro is also unsure if he could sit there… with Adam like that…
”Keith seems to be getting bullied by the other students,” Adam says, crossing his legs, “He has outbursts that seem to be in retaliation to things being said to him.”
”You are phrasing this incredibly different than when we were on the phone,” Shiro points out, “You just said he was being disruptive in class.”
”Yes, I also said that I attempted to handle it within the classroom and with the school counselor. I had the principal and counselor come speak with the class about how bullying is bad and the long-term impacts of it,” Adam sighs, “And he refused to speak to the counselor one-on-one, or with me there.”
”I see.”
”Today was exceptionally bad. Keith threw a chair at another student.”
”Oh my fucking god.”
”Yeah..”
”Is he getting suspended??”
”Mmm.. I’m trying to circumvent that. The legality of what I am doing is questionable at best, but I am not informing the principal about Keith’s actions. While making these calls, I am not going to specifically mention the chair incident. I am certain the students will tell their parents, though, so I am unsure how long I can keep this within just the classroom.”
”I can talk to him. Thank you.”
”I am keeping in mind the information you gave me during our first meeting.”
Shiro slowly sits in the chair beside Adam, “Has he been doing well otherwise?”
Adam smiles, leans down just slightly toward Shiro, and adjusts his glasses.
”He is a very creative kid. Art class is the one and only time that he is completely focused and well-behaved on any given day. He loves gym, too, but since it’s a bigger space.. the kids can get away with bullshit behaviors more than in art. Small room, y’know. Not a lot of funding here for that.”
”I didn’t know he liked art,” Shiro says quietly, trying to ignore how entranced he is by Adam’s eyes.
”He does. I was thinking about offering him a nice sketchbook and set of colored pencils if he could behave for a week straight.”
”I don’t know if that would work.”
”Don’t know unless we try, right?”
”I suppose…”
—
This may have been the first discussion about Keith’s actions, but it is certainly not the last.
After at least two meetings between this one and the chair throwing one, Shiro finds himself in a similar situation, once again in Adam’s classroom after a call home. He sits in the chair as Adam lounges beside him, arms crossed, leaning onto the desk, a cool demeanor radiating off of him.
“I’m so sorry,” Shiro keeps repeating, “I will talk to him, I promise. I am so sorry.”
Keith had threatened to stab (and kill) Adam.
And, again, Adam did not go to the principal about it. He called Shiro directly, told him the situation, and Shiro practically stumbled over himself to ensure that he was at Adam’s next break.
”Shiro, it’s okay.”
”No it isn’t! He should not have said that. I don’t even know where he learned that.”
Shiro feels a chill run through him when he realizes that one of his last homes may have had someone who said that to Keith.
”All I’m asking is that you have a conversation with Keith and let him know that this behavior is entirely unacceptable. He will be back in the room within a few minutes.”
”Of course, sir, I will talk to him.”
At this, Adam seems to flush just slightly.
”You don’t have to call me that, we are the same age I bet.”
“I’m 26,” Shiro says, “How old are you?”
“I’m 28, so… more or less the same. You’re got a little more youth in you than I do.”
“Debatedly. I spent a lot of my teenage years in hospitals, so I feel like I aged differently than people my age.”
“You think you’re older?”
“Yeah..”
Shiro wishes that he did not say that.
“Are you better now?”
“Hm?”
“Something must’ve been going on if you were in the hospital a lot. Are you better now?”
“Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m better. Originally, the disease I had was supposedly incurable, but as they were working with me… Uh, there was this person who figured out how to manage the disease to a point where most people who have undergone the process that was discovered haven’t had a return of the disease. The issue, for me, starts in my right shoulder and down my arm… So they had.. gone into my arm and did something? I used to know what they did, but over the years the specifics have left me. I was 17 when they did that surgery and I’ve been fine ever since. Well, I still have pain but that’s… It’s a long story. I have medication I have to take for the pain.”
Adam nods as Shiro talks, “Thanks for sharing that with me.”
“Most people around me nowadays don’t know about it.”
“Does Keith? Is this disease something that he needs to keep an eye for?”
“Keith?” Shiro asks, seeming confused.
“Well, he’s your son. Does he need to worry about getting the disease?”
“Oh! No, he’s… He’s fine. I adopted him. He isn’t related to me by blood.”
Adam stares at Shiro.
“What?” Shiro asks.
“You two look… like you are blood related.”
Shiro laughs, “No, I adopted him when he was in first grade but I had been going through the process of adoption when he was in kindergarten.”
Adam seems like he has a question he wants to ask, but Shiro can see the hesitation in his expression. Shiro is interested in what Adam wants to know, wants to be interesting to the man, for whatever reason.. But when Adam opens his mouth to speak, his teaching assistant walks into the room with his students in a line.
“Okay, everyone to your seats quietly. Mr. Wright is having a meeting,” Melenor says. Shiro looks at her and, for a moment, stares as he sees one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen. He’s never met Adam’s teaching aide before…
He may not be into women, but that doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate beauty when he sees it.
Shiro watches as Keith sees Shiro and freezes, eyes wide. One of the students nearby laughs.
“Ooo, Keith’s in trouble!”
The majority of the students join in on the teasing, several of them saying “ooo!” or “Keith’s getting sent home..” amongst other phrases that Shiro doesn’t care enough to listen to. He remembers being in elementary school when someone’s parent came into the classroom or when their name was said over the loudspeaker. Shiro was never the kid that poked fun at other students as he spent much of his youth in pain or being the kid getting bullied.
“Class, be respectful or you are losing a Dojo point,” Adam scolds. Several students sit back in their chairs, blank expressions as they stare ahead at the Smartboard.
“Keith, can you please step into the hallway with your dad?” Adam stands up straight from his desk and walks to the door, quietly thanking Melenor as he passes by her.
“He’s a good kid when he is being left alone,” Melenor whispers, “He just doesn’t get left alone.. very often.”
“I know.. I promise he isn’t a bad kid all the time. He just… really struggles with social interaction.. He had a tough upbringing.”
Melenor nods, a slight frown on her face, “I hope we can get this settled.”
”I hope we can too.”
Shiro walks once again, following Keith and Adam to the hallway. Keith sits in a desk that is situated in the corner of the doorway, in sight of a vertical glass window on the side of the door, but not in the way of those coming in and out of the classroom.
”Keith,” Shiro starts.
”I know, okay! You don’t need to come here and embarrass me in front of everyone!”
”You threatened to kill Adam. I think that is something I need to come here for.”
”I didn’t know that you were able to call Mr. Wright by his first name.”
”I have had plenty of meetings with him about you now. I think I can call him by his first name if he wants me to.”
Shiro is not quite sure why there is a specific look in Keith’s eyes that he gets whenever Shiro looks at a man for too long. He looks scared, a young child dreading something that Shiro can’t entirely place. He wonders if it’s coming from a place of fear of losing someone. Shiro wonders if Keith is afraid that Shiro will forget about him if he starts to date someone. He wonders if that happened to Keith in the past, if one of the people he lived with got a partner and tossed Keith to the side. Not that this is something that they even need to worry about considering the fact that Shiro and Adam are not going to get together. The only reason they see each other as often as they do is because of Keith’s behavior at school.
Besides, it isn’t like Shiro would want to date anyone. He doesn’t have time. He needs to focus on his doctorate program and taking care of Keith. Shiro does not want to give that kid any more reasons to feel like he isn’t loved and wanted. Shiro can’t date anyone. Even someone who seems as perfect and kind and attractive as Adam.. Someone who made his heart race from the first moment they met..
”Well, I’m sorry that I am an awful kid! Why don't you just bring me back to where you found me, Shiro?! Maybe then you’d be happier. You wouldn’t have to deal with me all the time!”
”Keith..”
”I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”
”Keith, please talk to your dad,” Adam says, “He isn’t here to get you in any sort of trouble. I’m not telling the principal anything. This stays between us, okay? I don’t want you to get expelled from another school.”
”Oh, so you told him how awful of a kid I am.”
”That is not at all how I phrased it when I talked to Adam about that. I said that you struggle with being in school and that you may act up because of your anxieties and struggles throughout your life.”
”What do you know about my struggles? You don’t even know me!”
”Yes, I do.”
”You don’t! You only took me because you felt bad for me.”
Shiro sighs, glancing at Adam for a moment before making eye contact with Keith. The boy is sitting with his arms crossed, eyes trained on the floor. Shiro watches a stray tear slip down Keith’s cheek. Shiro kneels down, attempting to make Keith look at him.
“Hey..”
Keith shakes his head and grunts.
“Keith, I love you. I’m so, so happy I adopted you.”
Keith closes his eyes, another tear falling.
“Maybe I don’t know your struggles, not perfectly. Maybe I don’t know you as well as I could. But that doesn’t change the fact that I love you and that I would do anything for you. You’re my son. Nothing will change that either. I’m not giving up on you.”
“Leave me alone,” Keith whispers, voice breaking.
“I can’t. You’re my son.”
“You don’t–”
“Keith, you cannot argue with me on this. You can’t change my mind. You are one of the best things that has ever happened to me.”
Adam rests a hand on Shiro’s shoulder then says, “I’m going to go inside the classroom. Send him in once you two are done here. I’ll chat with you during my lunch, if you’d be willing to stay until then.”
Shiro nods, looking up at Adam. He mouths “thank you” and Adam smiles before walking into the classroom.
Keith hiccups then throws his arms around Shiro, beginning to sob. Shiro slides his hand up and down Keith’s back.
“You’re okay, Keith.. Everything is okay..”
“I didn’t mean to threaten him!” Keith cries.
“Why did you?”
“I don’t know, I was angry,” Keith’s arms tighten around Shiro, “He made me angry..”
“Why?”
“Because the kids were being mean to me and he didn’t say anything to them! I told Mrs. M. that I was being bullied, and she said she’d handle it with Mr. W. and they didn’t do anything!”
“That.. doesn’t mean you can threaten someone, Keith.”
“No one listens to me unless I’m acting out.”
“What do you mean?”
“No one cares about me unless I’m being bad. No one wants to give me attention unless I am forcing people to remember I exist. I’m tired of it!”
“Do I not give you attention unless you are misbehaving?”
“I—”
“Because if I’m not, I would like to know that. I don’t want to make you feel alone or as though I don’t care about you.”
“Shiro,” Keith frowns and Shiro feels his eyes begin to burn with tears of his own.
“I love you, kid. I have never once regretted adopting you. You’re my son. I wanted to take care of you from the second I knew you existed.. It hurt to know that my own dad was treating you like shit..”
“It’s okay..”
“No, it’s not, and we both know that.”
“I survived..”
“You survived but that doesn’t mean you got out without any pain. You’ve had such a rough childhood, kiddo.. I want to make things better for you. I don’t want to add to that pain.”
“You aren’t..”
“I have so much faith in you, Keith.”
“Thank you,” Keith sniffles and sits up straight. He looks at Shiro and wipes his eyes with his sleeve.
“Of course.”
“You’re…” Keith pauses, biting anxiously at his lip before looking to the side, “You’re a good dad. I love you, too.”
Shiro breaks at this and he pulls Keith back in for a hug as he cries.
They sit in the hallway, hugging tight and crying. For the first time ever, Keith and Shiro both feel fully secure in the bond they have created. Keith, at least for a few moments, knows with certainty that Shiro won’t send him away. He knows that Shiro is going to stay by his side, even if Keith is the worst kid ever. And Shiro knows that Keith trusts him. Which is the best feeling that Shiro could have.
—
“Hey Shiro, could you come to my lunch hour today? There is something I would like to discuss with you,” Adam says over the phone. Shiro sighs, running his hand through his hair.
“Did Keith do something? His therapist and I have been working really hard with him..”
“We can discuss when you get here.”
Shiro sighs again, “Okay… I’ll see you then.”
After hanging up, Shiro groans and rests his head on his desk. He fights the urge to hit his forehead against the wood. Keith has been doing so much better… He has even made friends in his class now! At end of day pickup one day, Shiro saw Keith get hugged by two different students from his class.
Which was shocking for several reasons.
On the entire drive to Keith’s school, Shiro debates what to say to both Adam and, once he knows what happened, Keith’s therapist. Did Keith not get his meds today at school? Did he forget to give the school nurse more of his meds??
The office workers know Shiro by name by this point in the school year. The main office lady is kind to Shiro and he appreciates that when he is already stressed over Keith. Adam doesn’t even come to the main office to bring Shiro to his classroom anymore. Except…
Adam leans against a hallway that leads into the office today, arms crossed as he looks at Shiro with an expression that Shiro cannot read whatsoever. After months of Adam letting Keith get away with awful behavior, Shiro wonders what Adam’s breaking point was.
“Hey Shiro,” Adam greets, “Follow me.”
Adam and Shiro walk together to Adam’s classroom. Shiro walks in first and notices immediately that there are two lunch bags on Adam’s desk. He looks at Adam who says nothing, simply walking to his desk and sitting down. He gestures to the chair across from him.
”I.. thought that it could be.. nice to have lunch together,” Adam avoids making eye contact with Shiro as he approaches the desk, “I made something for us,”
Shiro lowers himself into the chair, hesitant and a little afraid.
”What did Keith do?” He asks.
”Nothing, he has been doing very well recently.”
”Then..”
”I missed seeing you. I’m sorry, this is probably so weird. I don’t even know if this is legal..”
Shiro pulls the chair closer to the desk. He taps his fingers on the arm rests.
”You… missed me?”
”Yeah.”
”Why?”
”You.. I don’t know,” Adam leans onto his hand, eyebrows furrowed, “This is so unprofessional, you can leave if you want. God, I didn’t think this through at all..”
“Adam..”
”Hm?”
”I’ll stay. What did you make?”
Adam stares blankly at Shiro for a moment before unpacking the two lunch bags. The food is already reheated.
”Chicken Parmesan,” Adam sets the empty bags on the floor and slides a container closer to Shiro, “It was my ma’s recipe.”
”It looks amazing.”
”Thank you. I hope you like it.”
”I’m sure I will.”
Adam sets a fork down on top of Shiro’s container.
”I have several presumptuous things to say,” Adam sets his palms down onto the desk, “You are single, yes?”
”I— Yeah, how did you know?”
”As I said, I have several presumptuous things to say. You are the only emergency contact for Keith and whenever you’ve discussed your family with me, you’ve never mentioned a partner. No ring on your finger, you’re the only person who has ever come to discuss Keith’s behavior.”
”You.. notice a lot.”
”Part of the job, in a way. I have to keep eyes on an entire classroom of second graders. That’s not even mentioning the fact that I have to learn the different ways parents and guardians interact with me. I’ve been teaching for over four years now, but some of these families treat me like it’s my first year. I notice the guardians who are kind to me from the jump.”
”Like me?”
”Yes, like you.”
”So.. what are you saying?”
”I’m saying that I think you are incredibly sweet and kind. You treat Keith with love and respect where other parents would not.”
”Ah.”
”But this is about more than that. I think you are handsome and funny. You’re kind to me, but just Keith. I’d bet money on the fact that you’re nice to everyone around you.”
”Some people don’t deserve kindness,” Shiro says.
”That I can agree with.”
”Can I bring you out on a date?” Adam asks, his hand reaching across the desk for Shiro’s. He doesn’t overstep, though, keeping at least a foot between their hands.
Shiro doesn’t quite know what to say.
”Uh..”
”You can say no,” Adam whispers, “I promise. I won’t treat you or Keith any different.”
Shiro didn’t know that this could be an option. He didn’t realize there was a world in which Adam would ask him out. He didn’t even think there was a world in existence where Adam would like him.
“You’re not going to get in,” Shiro pauses, glancing around the room as though there is a hidden camera, “trouble, right?”
Adam shrugs, “I don’t know.”
”Why risk your job?”
”I have a feeling you’re worth it. Besides, I wanted to relocate to a different school at the end of the school year anyway.”
”Adam.. You shouldn’t—“
”Maybe you’re right, but I don’t care. I’ve thought long and hard about this. This is something I have turned over in my head for months now. I’ve decided it’s worth it, like I said.”
Shiro… wants this. Hasn’t he thought to himself how attractive Adam is? He had felt like a high schooler with a crush more than once around Adam.. He’s thought about Adam’s eyes, how perfect his hair looks, how gorgeous his voice is.. It took him at least a month or two to be able to sit at Adam’s desk without his hands shaking and face feeling warm.
But he doesn’t have the time or the space in his life. He doesn’t have the security he needs with Keith and—
Well, that’s not exactly true anymore, is it? Keith has been so much better than before. He even talks kindly about Adam to Shiro. For some reason, Shiro feels the need to run this decision by Keith. He needs to know if Keith would be okay with Shiro potentially dating Adam. He needs to know if his son will feel safe with Adam as Shiro’s partner.
He can’t ask right now. There’s always afterschool.. and whatever happens now doesn’t really count as anything, right?
Shiro can tell himself that, he decides. He can tell himself that this doesn’t matter until he knows that this situation isn’t going to break the trust that Shiro and Keith have formed.
“Shiro, you can say no,” Adam repeats.
”I don’t want to.”
”You don’t want to say no or…?”
”I need time to think about anything long-term. I can’t give you an answer on that half of things.”
Adam nods.
”What I can say.. is that, right now, I want to let myself have something for once,” Shiro says, holding Adam’s hand, “I rarely let myself have something I want. For just a moment, even if it’s just this however long we have, I want to exist in a world where I can have this.. have you..”
”Shiro..”
”Takashi,” Shiro says in a tender tone, “You can call me Takashi..”
It takes Adam less than ten seconds to stand up and round the desk. It takes less than five for him to straddle Shiro in his chair.
”Holy fuck,” Shiro whispers, looking up at Adam.
”Can I kiss you?” Adam asks, the desperation in his voice unmistakable.
Shiro doesn’t answer. He threads his fingers through Adam’s hair and pulls his head down. Their first kiss is awful, too forceful and fast. Their second one, after they both laugh, is gentle and slow. Shiro can feel the softness of Adam’s hair and lips, he notices the smattering of freckles across Adam’s cheeks..
Someone clears their throat and the two men separate immediately, Adam sitting on his desk and Shiro crossing his arms.
“One of the kids fell at recess and knocked out a baby tooth. Can you call home and let them know preemptively before the nurse calls home?” Melenor asks. She has a glint in her eyes and Shiro sees Adam’s sly middle finger at her.
—
“Hey,” Adam says as he rests a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. Shiro’s eyes are closed, nearly asleep.
”Hmm?”
Shiro feels the blanket on his bed get pulled further up, now covering the entirety of Shiro’s torso and arms.
”You feel okay?”
”Mhmm..”
”I’m really proud of you,” Adam’s arms wrap around Shiro, pulling him close, “You are going to do amazing tomorrow.”
”Thank you..” Shiro opens his eyes, blinking a few times before staring in awe at his boyfriend, “You’re so beautiful..”
”Is that going to be part of your dissertation defense?”
Shiro smiles, scoffing quietly.
”No, weirdo.. Are you sure I’m ready for tomorrow..?”
”Takashi, my love, you ran over your entire dissertation several times and I saw no issue with anything you said or did. I know with complete certainty that you’ve got this..”
A quiet knock at the door snaps their focus off of each other.
”Keith?” Shiro calls out.
”Yeah,” Keith sounds like he’s crying.
”Come here buddy, what’s going on?”
Keith climbs into bed, slotting himself between Adam and Shiro. Both men hug Keith and wait for Keith’s answer.
”Nightmares..”
”Poor baby.. Do you want to sleep in here for a little while?”
Keith nods. They work together to pull the blanket over Keith. The kid snuggles up between Shiro and Adam then whispers, “Thank you dads.. I love you..”
As Keith falls asleep, Adam and Shiro stare at each other in shock.