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spring-emerald · 7 years

Text

Parental Guidance is advised

For @vikingpoteto

Grandma, it’s me, Anastasia jk please get the reference Your Secret Santa!!!!! :D First of all, Happy Holidays to you and I hope that you’re having a good celebration! I combined two of your wishes, and meshed them together as much as I could, and I have grander things planned for this, seriously, but I don’t want to miss Christmas, so for the meantime, please make do with my humble offering! I hope you like it! Mwah!!!

Summary: Single dad Daichi needs some advice. Thankfully, blogger Cat Daddy is there to the rescue.

Pairing: KuroDai

Notes: Single Dad-slash-Internet Friends AU; kid!Kageyama Tobio and kid!Kozume Kenma

AO3

Daichi stares hard at his laptop screen, reading his message for any misspelling or grammar mistakes, while his finger hovers over the ‘enter’ key. He doesn’t know why he’s feeling nervous at the prospect of sending this message, and while he’s confident that he’ll virtually be unknown as Daichi and be only known as he handle he’s chosen, he’s quite scared of the reactions that his question might gather.

But he really needs help, and if it’s only just for him, then he might have not done this, thought of something else instead. But the thing is it isn’t. And as much as his real friends could help him, he doesn’t think they will understand.

His finger touches the key, a light caress. He takes a deep breath and releases it at the same time he presses ‘enter’. In the small moment that it took for the system to register his message, he feels the rush of panic and immediately wants to undo what he’s done, but the screen refreshes and the topmost entry in the blog is his question (well, from Papa_Crow, to be exact), staring back at him.

Hello!

I need some advice. I am a single dad of a three year old boy, and he’s turning four this winter, but the thing is, he is yet to talk, at least in complete sentences?

I mean, I keep talking to him and engaging him in conversations, and I think he understands what I am saying. I also don’t think he has a hearing disability, because he comes to me whenever I call him, and goes out of the room whenever he hears the jingle of a particular commercial. But he doesn’t speak often, and only chooses to do so when he needs something, which are mostly just the same things.

I’m thinking of taking him to a pediatrician, but I don’t know if I should wait a bit more or… I’m sorry, I just don’t know who to ask and I thought that as a single dad yourself, you have some advice. Thank you very much!

Respectfully, Papa Crow

The blog -Cat Daddy’s Parenting Adventure- is owned and being run by a single dad just like him. At least, according to the information Daichi’s read about him. He has a four year old son, who he affectionately calls ‘Ken-chan’. They don’t post pictures, as Cat Daddy is actually wary of posting them, lest single mothers fall in love with his charm (Daichi snorts at that), although the real reason he didn’t is because he respects Ken-chan’s privacy and wish that he doesn’t want his face to be known.

So, in place of a real photo, is an icon of a black cat, with bangs covering the upper right part of its face, for Cat Daddy, while it’s a calico cat, with long hair parted in the middle, for Ken-chan. It made Daichi smile, because it’s cute and creative. The blog, as Cat Daddy writes, is meant to be his journal of sorts about his adventure as a single parent and raising a child of his own.

To be honest, Daichi didn’t care much for the blog at first, skipping it, even though it’s the first site that appeared on the search. It’s the tagline that made him wary because honestly, there are other more serious sounding blogs that he saw. But then those were often run by single mothers, not that it’s a bad thing. There are also generic sites for parenting advice that he bookmarked for later use, but Daichi is looking for someone closer to his situation.

Almost giving up, he scrolls back to the top of the page and sees the blog once again. Thinking that he doesn’t have anything to lose, he clicks and finds out that the one he least expected, is the one that he’s actually looking for. Then he finds himself going to the last page to read the first entry, and it all went from there. It wasn’t until recently that Cat Daddy answered questions and gave advice, since he figured that if people actually look up to him, then might as well.

And so far, his responses are actually helpful, especially since he’s able to use his own experiences as example. As much as his humor could be eye roll inducing, his advices are respectful and considerate. It’s what made Daichi decide to ask in the first place. Now, he just has to wait for a reply. That is, if Cat Dad actually sees it.

A light tug on the side of his shirt shifts his attention away from his laptop, smiling down at his son.

“Yes, Tobio-kun? What is it?” Daichi asks gently, taking Tobio’s hand.

Tobio shuffles his feet and Daichi feels his small hand squeeze his own, before Tobio looks up at him with wide eyes. “Milk,” he whispers in his small voice.

Daichi blinks in surprise and glances at the clock hanging on the wall. True enough, it’s only a few minutes before Tobio’s bedtime, and he usually drinks milk around this time, as part of his sleeping routine. Daichi had forgotten about it because of his nervousness at the prospect of asking a stranger for advice.

“Ah, right,” he tells Tobio. “Hold on, Papa’s just going to close this.” His other hand is already clicking keys that would eventually turn off the laptop, and after a few seconds, it’s off and he pushes the screen down and calls it a day. He can just check for the reply tomorrow. Tobio, however, needs his milk now.

Daichi pads toward the kitchen with Tobio in tow. He lifts Tobio up and sits him down in the chair, while he goes to fetch everything he needs to make Tobio’s milk. After drinking, they went on to do their nightly routine of brushing their teeth together, then they’re both turning in for the night.

Daichi hands the stuffed bear to Tobio, as his son lies down on his side of the bed, arms wrapped around his sleeping companion.

“Good night, Tobio,” Daichi says, brushing Tobio’s hair away from his forehead and drops a gentle kiss on it. Tobio only blinks at him, but Daichi knows that he’s also saying good night in his own way. Then he closes his eyes, and he’s fast asleep.

Daichi walks over to his side of the bed. Sitting down, he gets the picture frame on top of the bedside table. Michimiya’s bright smiling face is staring up at him. “I hope I’m doing the right thing, Yui,” he tells the picture with a small sad smile. He stares at it a few seconds more, conversing silently with it, before he puts it down and turns off the lamp.

----------

He and Tobio are sitting comfortably on the sofa, with Tobio fiddling with the remote and changing channels, looking for something interesting to watch. Daichi supposes that he could just ask for it and set it himself, but thought better as it could be a good practice for Tobio to ask for help. Besides, Tobio’s got this small frown creasing his forehead, and Daichi thinks it’s adorable that he lets him be.

He suddenly remembers about the blog from last night, so he gets his phone and checks. He almost drops it when he sits up straight upon noticing that it has been answered.

Well hello there, Papa Crow, starts the reply.

Daichi doesn’t know why but it sounded smug in his mind’s ear and the image of the smirking cat icon came to mind. He shakes his head and continues reading.

First of all, thank you for thinking that I am actually qualified to give advice. I still don’t know how that happened, but it’s an honor. Anyway, back to the concern at hand, well, this is just my personal opinion, but I don’t think that you should take him to the doctor just yet. I mean, I’m only basing this from the information you provided, in that he responds to you and that he actually speaks up, though not much. I completely understand why you would be worried though.

To be honest, I kind went through the similar thing with my ward. Ken-chan’s very quiet, during the age that he’s supposed to be talkative. I didn’t know what to do with him, I thought I might be doing something wrong. And it’s easy to feel like that, especially when you’re parenting alone. But I realized that it’s not on me, since it turns out that’s just who he is as a kid, and that’s alright. That’s who he is. That, and he also just needs some social interaction with same aged peers that share his interests.

Now, Ken-chan still isn’t the most sociable kid out there, since he really prefers staying indoors and playing by himself (he likes video games a lot). I tried patterning our communication to video game terms, and it’s a work in progress, but there is progress. He’s also got a best friend, and it helped him open up a lot.

I’m not sure where your son’s interest lies, since children are still fundamentally different from each other. And what might have worked for my son, might be different from what will work for yours. But, hey, there’s no harm in trying right?

Now, even though I said this, you are still the parent, and your decision still trumps over my advice. If you decide that seeing a doctor would help ease your mind, then it’s your prerogative. I know you’ll come to a decision that’s right for you and your son.

I hope everything goes well, comrade. I would love to hear more about you and your son, so keep in touch! :)

Meow or never, Cat Daddy

Daichi reads the whole thing again, a sense of camaraderie towards the person behind this blog growing within him. The fear of being judged by others had been an unfounded worry, and despite his initial impression, Cat Daddy-whoever he is, is actually a really decent person.

He types up a quick reply to the message, thanking the man for his advice and a promise that he’ll update him. He keeps in mind the points that was raised on the reply, although it got him thinking about Tobio’s interest.

He’s assured that Tobio, doesn’t appreciate the arts as much. He doesn’t draw often, despite the numerous art materials Daichi have around the house. Tobio doesn’t have the impulse to doodle on walls or on any surface he could get his hands on.

He does, however, shows some inkling in sports. One time, he tried teaching Tobio simple volleyball, throwing the ball up and letting Tobio ‘spike’ it. But that had been just once. Daichi thinks it’s just him wanting to influence Tobio, and he doesn’t want to do that, especially if Tobio doesn’t really like it.

Maybe he can try other sports? Like soccer. He’ll teach basketball last. Exhaust first all his options before he offers that.

Daichi’s mentally listing all the sport he could think of on top of his head, simple ones that he can play with Tobio, just to check if it will interest him, when he looks up at the television and sees that it’s in the news channel. He smiles funnily at it before he glances down at Tobio, only to find him sitting straight on the edge of the sofa, eyes transfixed on the television unblinking, and there’s some sort of a spark in them.

Daichi looks at the tv, the news reporting about the results of the recently concluded Inter High competition, showing footages of the plays the winning team made. He looks at Tobio again, and repeats this back and forth and… wow. He feels a bubble of laughter in his chest, giddy at the situation. He doesn’t think that liking a particular sport is an actual inherited trait, but it might be.

He wasn’t able to let it out though, as Tobio chooses that moment to look up at him. “Papa, I want to play that,” he says clearly, finger pointing at the tv screen, his words as clear as cloudless sky.

The laughter dies in Daichi’s chest as a more intense feeling swells up inside him. Unable to hold himself back, he gathers Tobio in his arms and squeeze him into a hug, his tears falling on Tobio’s hair unbidden. Daichi cannot put into words the overwhelming happiness he’s feeling right now.

----------

The first order of business that day for Daichi is to buy a volleyball for Tobio, so he can at least play with it whenever he wants and he could get started on teaching him some basics. Since it’s a good day to be outside, they went to the nearby park. Seeing as Tobio’s just brimming with happiness because of his new ball, he readily agrees. Before Daichi can ask him if he wants to have some ice cream, Tobio lets go of his hand and starts running.

“Tobio!” Daichi calls out, sprinting after him, surprised at the way his son just runs away. There isn’t anything interesting to see, except for a boy, probably around Tobio’s age, sitting under the shade of a tree, concentrating on a handheld console. Daichi’s about to ask Tobio what he saw, but then he sees a volleyball beside the child.

Daichi realizes that Tobio must have recognized the colors of the ball, similar to the one they just bought and the prospect of seeing someone else have it got him excited.

Tobio stops a few steps away from the boy, with Daichi stopping just behind him, breathing hard after his impromptu jogging session.

He takes a closer look at the boy, and is surprised to see that his long hair is not actually blond, but rather, his hair is dyed blond, as his roots are already showing up on top of his head. Now, Daichi isn’t usually a judgmental person, but he did wonder what kind of parent did this boy have, that allowed him to dye his hair like that.

The little boy, noticing that he’s got company, looks up at them. He looks bored at first, but when he realized that Daichi is there, his expression turned into a frightened one. He smiles gently at the boy, making himself less imposing, but before he can greet him, Tobio is already exclaiming “Volleyball!” while pointing at the ball beside the boy.

The boy looks away from his game and glances down at the ball beside him, then gazes up at them again.

“Is something the matter?” Someone asks from behind Daichi and he jumps a little at surprise. He quickly turns around, almost giving himself a whiplash.

A man taller than him, with black unruly hair and bangs falling over the right side of his face, is looking at him and at the boy, a deceptively polite smile on his face. His eyes are quite sharp and it belies the polite look he’s going for.

There’s something familiar about him, though Daichi couldn’t place it at the moment, and couldn’t understand why, because he’s positive that this is the first time he saw this man. He doesn’t like the aura the man is giving off though, and Daichi is steadily getting tensed at the way he’s poised, like a cat ready to attack. He pulls Tobio closer to him.

“No. My son,” he nods his head once at Tobio’s direction, “just saw the volleyball. We didn’t mean to disturb.” He finishes stiffly, with a tight smile on his lips.

The man raises an eyebrow at the kid behind Daichi.

“You’re overreacting, Dad,” the blond boy says with a sigh.

Instantly, the heavy aura the man was emanating vanished, and his polite smile is replaced with a real one. “Is that so?” He says genially.

Even though it’s the case, Daichi still hasn’t relaxed. “Yeah. We’re really sorry. We’ll be taking our leave now.” He bows his head, and as much as he doesn’t want to pull Tobio, he does so, because his son is not making any indication that he likes to leave yet, still staring intently at the ball.

“Come on, Tobio. You have your own ball, we’ll just play at home,” he says to him as gently as he could.

“Wait,” the man puts an arm in front of Daichi. “Don’t leave yet. I’m sorry if I came across too threatening,” he sounds and looks truly apologetic. “But please stay. Kenma doesn’t get a lot of other kids approaching him.”

“…Dad.”

“Papa, volleyball,” Tobio insists again. The man noticed him and before Daichi knows it the man is already squatting down at Tobio’s eye level and talks to him. Expectedly, Tobio moves away from him, not used to strangers. But the man wasn’t deterred by it, and instead gave Tobio a bright smile.

“Hello there! I’m Kuroo,” he puts a palm on his chest. “And that’s my son, Kenma,” he points to the blond boy. “What’s your name?”

Tobio shuffles his feet and Daichi can feel his hands clench and unclench the material of his pants, he’s about to come to his sons rescue when he surprised him yet again.

“I’m Tobio,” his son says softly, shyly looking up at Kuroo.

Kuroo offers a hand for Tobio to shake, and he smiled when the child takes it. “It’s nice to meet you, Tobio-kun,” he says while shaking Tobio’s hand. “Do you like volleyball?”

Tobio nods.

“Kenma does too! Maybe you two can play with each other?”

Tobio stares at him, then shifts his gaze to Kenma, then to the ball beside him. He looks at the man again, and nods quietly. The man smiles at him again and raises a hand in front of himself. “Thank you! Can I get a high five?”

Daichi watches in amazement as Tobio slams his hand against Kuroo-san’s.

“Well, that settles it I guess,” Kuroo stands up to his full height and gives Daichi a disarming smile. “Can Tobio-kun play with Kenma, please?”

Daichi isn’t completely aware that he’s been watching the exchange with his mouth open and he promptly closes it with a shut when Kuroo smiles at him. He feels his face warm at being caught like that, but still, “You don’t even know me,” he replies instead.

Kuroo laughs. “That’s true. Which is unfair, since you already know my name.”

“Not all of it.”

“Kuroo Tetsurou,” he says, offering a hand to him, just like he did with Tobio a moment ago.

Daichi transfers the bag he’s holding to his other hand, and wipes it across his pants first, before he grips Kuroo’s hand and shakes it, in the way that one would when greeting a client. He doesn’t miss the surprised reaction that flitted across Kuroo’s face. “I’m Sawamura Daichi.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sawamura-san,” Kuroo says, lips curling into a smirk.

Because Daichi isn’t sure that meeting him would indeed be pleasurable, he doesn’t reply, and only nods instead.

----------

It’s hard to remain aloof towards Kuroo-san though, as Daichi soon finds out. After he’s basically pushed his son, Kenma, and Tobio to play together, he asked Daichi if he would be kind and help him set up their picnic blanket. Once the blanket’s been set up, he settles down and proceeds to bring out the contents of the picnic basket, which are mostly finger foods, save for a tray of apple pie.

“What are you standing there for, Sawamura-san? Come, sit here.” He pats the free space beside the basket.

“I don’t want to impose.”

“What do you mean impose? I invited you. And this is the least I can offer you, especially after how I came across earlier.”

There isn’t anything else that Daichi can say to that, so he complied with the request.

“I really am sorry about earlier,” Kuroo starts when Daichi’s sitting down comfortably. “It’s just that Kenma’s been picked on by other kids one time, and while he’s doing better and it’s not happening now, I can’t help but get protective.” He confesses, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Its fine Kuroo-san. And hearing that, I completely understand why you would react like so. I mean, I probably would’ve done the same for Tobio.”

Daichi smiles reassuringly at Kuroo.

“Oh, and thank you!” Kuroo exclaims suddenly, “for letting Tobio-kun play with Kenma. We’re not imposing are we?”

Daichi raises an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean imposing?” he echoes Kuroo’s words back at him. Kuroo looks at him with something akin to appreciation at his audacity.

“Touché, Sawamura-san.” Kuroo smirks and Daichi grins at him.

“Seriously though, I should be the one thanking you, for reaching out to Tobio like that. He’s reserved and don’t do well with strangers. But that might have been my fault though, since I don’t usually take him out.” Daichi admits.

Normally, Daichi wouldn’t act like this towards a stranger, wouldn’t open so easily, and he’ll dutifully keep a polite demeanor. But there’s something about Kuroo-san that while puts him on edge, makes him relax in his presence as well. Maybe it has something to do with how he deals well with children.

Speaking of…”“How are you so good with dealing with children anyway?”

Kuroo doesn’t even pause to consider the question. “I don’t think I’m good or superior just because I am good with them. I just have a lot of practice with Kenma. He’s reserved too, so I got lucky that your child has a similar disposition,” he grins at Daichi. “Besides, don’t beat yourself up or blame yourself for it. There are children like that, and the best thing that we can do for them is not push them and just keep supporting them.” He shrugs after saying this, as if what he’s just said is something trivial.

“You really got this parenting thing down, don’t you?”

Kuroo laughs. “Trust me, I don’t. But I am trying my best. We’re both a work in progress. Besides, I kind of have to since- Oh my god that is so adorable! Sawamura-san, look!”

Daichi quickly looks to the direction Kuroo is pointing at. It’s Tobio and Kenma playing with their respective volleyballs. Kenma, from the looks of it, is teaching Tobio how to toss the ball up. Tobio tries as best as he can to copy what Kenma is showing him, and he’s got the tossing up part good, but his hands are still uncoordinated to catch them, hence it falls on his head when it comes back down. Tobio’s got this pout on his face and Daichi thinks he’s about to cry, but Kenma pats his head in consolation and says something. The pout clears up from Tobio’s face and he looks determined to try again.

“Wow,” he whispered in amazement. He forgot that he has company, and when he looks at Kuroo again, the man is smiling at him, like he knows what Daichi is feeling at the moment. Daichi realizes that maybe he does.

“That deserves a treat, don’t you think, Sawamura-san?” Daichi nods his head enthusiastically.

“It definitely does.”

Kuroo calls the kids over, saying that it’s time for snacks.

----------

Daichi heaves a sleepy Tobio up and adjusts him in his arms, making sure that he’s snug in there, and that he can still comfortably carry the ball they bought earlier.

“Will you be fine like that, Sawamura-san?” Kuroo asks him. He’s carrying the picnic basket while Kenma’s backpack has the folded blanket. He looks tired as well, but he’s in a better state than Tobio.

Daichi smiles at the father and son. “Yes, I’ll be fine. It’s not a long walk. Thank you very much for playing with Tobio, Kenma-kun,” he tells the child. He would’ve squatted down to his eye level, but it’s kind of difficult with Tobio in his arms. “He had a lot of fun today.”

“You’re welcome, Sawamura-san,” the child answers quietly.

“Thank you very much, Kuroo-san.”

Kuroo grins at him. “You’re very much welcome, Sawamura-san,” he says, with a sort of a grand bow. Daichi huffs out a breath in amusement, rolling his eyes at Kuroo’s antics.

“Well, we got to go now,” Kuroo says, taking Kenma’s hand.

“Right,” Daichi says slowly. “This is goodbye then.”

“Yeah… bye.” They start walking away, and Daichi stays on the spot, watching them leave.

“Kuroo-san, wait!” Daichi calls out, and Kuroo turns around so fast, like he’s been waiting for it. “Yes?”

“Uhm… can we maybe do this, again…? I mean, Kenma-kun is basically Tobio’s first friend, and I want him to keep having that. I would understand if-”

“That’s a great idea, Sawamura-san.” Kuroo and Kenma walks back to them again. They exchanged numbers and talked about the possible day when they can do this again.

“Alright! That’s a date then!” Kuroo says excitedly before he can stop himself, then his face steadily turned red when what he actually said registered. Daichi knows that his face isn’t far from it as well, what with the warmth that traveled on his face.

“I-I mean playdate! For the boys! Since they’re going to play,” Kuroo stammered, unable to look at Daichi’s eyes.

“Right, right. Of course.” Daichi’s quick to assure him that it’s alright. Kuroo only nods at him. He takes a deep breath and composes himself.

“Well, until next time, Sawamura-san.”

“Yeah. Until next time.” Kuroo and Kenma turns again, but this time, they walked a little faster and Daichi couldn’t help but chuckle at them. He checks on Tobio, and finds that his son is fast asleep, before he turns to go to the opposite direction.

He’s looking forward to their next meeting already.

----------

Hello there, Cat Daddy!

I hope you don’t mind me messaging you personally, but I would like to thank you for the advice that you gave me. It’s relieving to have someone to talk to, and have them understand. And thank you, for the vote of support as well.

My son spoke his first sentence! And it was such a heartwarming moment for me and I want to share it to you, since well, since you said that you’d like an update. My worries have been unfounded, although there’s still room for improvement. But, it’s as you said- it’s a work in progress.

Oh, and he’s met a friend too! It feels like he’s growing up.

Anyway, I think things are starting to look good, especially for him, and I hope that it continues to be like this. Once again, thank you so much! And good job on your awesome parenting!

Soaring and Flying, Papa Crow

Daichi reads the message over, before he hits the send button. He’s too happy by the events of the day, that he’s unable to fully contain it to himself that he promised that he’ll give the update the single dad blogger wants. He didn’t go into details, fearing that he’ll just bore the person on the other side, but he made sure to stress his gratitude. Daichi doubts that he’ll reply at this time of the night, so he’ll just check back tomorrow.

His last thought before he goes to sleep, is that Cat Daddy seems like a really good person, and that he hopes to meet him in real life.

#haikyuu!!#kurodai #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #hq fanfic

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