#saekiteru

                "Kidding, Aki! Kidding!" she assured him, and she rolled over to face him. Well, she tried. Her pregnant belly was sizeable now that she was about six months along. Nevertheless, she manage to get to her knees and scoot close to him, close enough to wrap her arms around his shoulders and place a soft, tender kiss on his cheek. "We're ready for this," she whispered, taking his left hand in hers and placing it on her stomach.

                He leaned his forehead against hers and released a slow, low breath. "Yeah," he said, his voice shaky.

                "Akiteru." Saeko touched his cheek and nudged his nose with hers. "We can do this."

                "Well…it's rather late to think otherwise," he said in an attempt at humor.

                Saeko grinned. "My hero." Then she laughed again and patted his rump as he got up to finish dressing. Her eyes followed him the whole time. "Ah, what a nice show…"

                Akiteru rolled his eyes. "No matter how many times I hear that, you still sound like a pervy old man, Saeko."

                She shrugged. "If you think I'm bad, you should've gone drinking with Coach Ukai and Take-chan and Nekoma's coaches. Poor Ukai-san and Naoi-san always had to rein in Nekomata-san around Take-chan. Though I don't blame him—Take-chan's a cutie."

                "But I'm cuter," her husband pointed out, adjusting his tie and returning to her for another peck on her forehead.

                "You bet," she agreed. She got up and went to the drawers, opening the middle one. "And, today…it'll be bright blue with chicks on them." She passed him said pair of socks, and he slipped them on.

                "No one sees my socks, you know."

                "Yeah. But it's important to retain some part of your personality while wearing a monkey suit."

                He raised his eyebrows. "Fight the 'man'?"

                "Why, Tsukishima-kun, I'll make a rebel out of you yet."

                The couple went into their kitchen, where Akiteru made toast for both of them. "I've got to get going soon, otherwise I'll miss the train."

                "What about coffee? Do you have time for a cup?"

                He tweaked her nose playfully. "I'll have a cup at work. This is a tea-only zone until this summer, Saeko."

                "How I miss a good, strong cup of black coffee…," she bemoaned.

                Akiteru reached for her and ran a hand through her hair, which had been getting longer over the past several months and was now halfway between her chin and shoulders. "I'll be home on the regular train. Is there anything I can pick up or need to get?"

                She hugged him from the side, burying her face in his shoulder. "No… Oh, wait. Cherry popsicles."

                "Again?! We just got some three days ago!"

                "And I'm eating dessert for two, Aki."

                "All right, all right…" He ate his toast and then headed for the door. "I'm off! See you tonight, honey."

                Saeko lazily bit into her toast but warmed at hearing the endearment. She heard the door open and close, and she went to the freezer to grab the last popsicle before going into the living room to watch the morning variety shows.

                Ahh, being someone's "honey"—it was a wonderful feeling. A part of Saeko had always wished to be someone "honey," and to have one of her own. Granted, her strong personality hadn't done her any favors, but Tanaka Saeko was not the typical prim and proper Japanese woman. And from the first time she'd bleached one chunk of her short, brown hair in her first year of high school, she knew she'd never be that stereotype.

                Akiteru liked that about her. Sure, they hadn't really known each other at Karasuno High what with him being her senior by one year, but Saeko liked to believe it was destiny and not coincidence that had led them to meeting again almost a decade ago now. After all, what were the chances that both of them would have younger brothers who played volleyball? Who'd be regulars who'd carry their team to nationals? Who were the perfect excuse for Saeko and Akiteru to go out drinking so the older siblings could bond over gushing about their baby brothers?

                On the television, one of the two hosts of the variety show found himself drenched in water, and Saeko guffawed. It wasn't that the scenario itself was particularly funny, but it reminded Saeko of one of her first nights out with Akiteru and Takeda and Coach Ukai and the other club supporters from the Neighborhood Association. Coach Ukai and his grandson had had to look after Takeda and the rest, but Akiteru had insisted on walking Saeko home. She'd laughed at him because they were both drunk as skunks and so it'd be like the blind leading the blind. But he'd insisted nevertheless, and then he'd ended up splashed as a car sped by them and kicked up water from a large puddle. That had sobered him up and she'd held her sides, drunk and laughing so hard it hurt—becoming sober herself only when they arrived at the Tanaka house and he asked her pointblank if he could see her again. "Just the two of us," he'd said, staring steadfastly as the moonlight reflected off his golden eyes.

                That stare, Saeko came to learn, was something Akiteru shared with his younger brother, but she found Akiteru's to be much more intense. Of course, he wasn't always that intense. Saeko went into their bedroom to get dressed and saw she had an unread text on her cellphone on the nightstand. She picked it up. It was from her husband:

                -AGH. TT-TT delayed train=late to work=home late. i'll call when i AM coming home. -3-

                She smiled at the message, but she wasn't worried at all. Besides, she thought as she glanced at her belly, they had a baby coming soon, and there was plenty to do around the house in preparation.

                But getting things done was easier said than done.

                Saeko took a break around lunchtime to duck out of the house and walk around the neighborhood, taking in the fresh April air. Honestly, the house was kind of driving her nuts. With the help of Akiteru's parents, they'd bought this house three months before their October wedding last year, and Saeko loved it. It was tiny and quaint and, yes, looked out of place on the outskirts of the city, but it was beautiful and safe and theirs. But they still had unpacked boxes taking up the space that was supposed to be the baby's room right beside their bedroom upstairs, and all of those things needed to be put away so they could set up finally for their child.

                On the bright side, at least her business, a bar called "The Roost," was doing well again after a rather dry period. She'd stopped drawing a paycheck for herself to help out with the finances, and she still wouldn't resume drawing one yet, not when her brother and his two friends worked for her and needed the source of income. Besides, Akiteru had stopped being an office worker years ago and now did well as a salesman. He could definitely support his family. And, if they hit any tough spot, Saeko had some savings and the little rest of her inheritance that remained after opening the bar and buying the house.

                Or maybe the tough spot wouldn't be of the financial kind, she internally groused as two old women walked by her, pointing to her and whispering to each other. Well, they could go screw themselves. Saeko likely looked a sight with her pregnancy, long skirt, and sensible boots…and leather jacket. But damn if she loved this old jacket, though she couldn't zip it as she was now. She shot the women a dirty look, something akin to the yakuza glare her brother loved to whip out, but her anger dissipated as her stomach growled. She took her phone out and dialed a friend. "Yui-chaaan… Lunch?"

                "Saeko-san? I was just about to feed Daisuke."

                "Bring him along. Auntie Saeko wants to see him, too."

                "Sure, sure."

                Saeko hung up, feeling immensely better. But when she turned to go back and head for the train station, she stopped. This part of the neighborhood didn't look familiar… "Oops."

                "Sorry I'm late!" Saeko finally caught her breath at the restaurant as she pulled her chair out and draped her jacket on the back.

                "It's only been ten minutes, don't mind," the mother said, and she spooned some more baby food into her son's mouth.

                "Yeah…who's counting…?" Saeko sighed, but her companion merely smiled at her. There wasn't a mean bone in Yui's body, so Saeko let it go. Instead, she turned to the toddler. "And who's this cutie? Can't be Daisuke. He's so big."

                Yui chuckled, and Daisuke mirrored his mother's smile. "I know, right? He's been growing like a weed. Hayato thinks we'll be teaching him volleyball before you know it."

                "Oh, god… The Ikejiri family, a volleyball clan."

                "You say that as if the same couldn't be true of other families, such as your own."

                Saeko laughed. "You've got me there… But I like how Karasuno forged all these bonds for us." She fought the urge to pinch both mother's and son's cheeks, they were so cute. "I mean, just making friends from cheering our friends and family on alone…"

                Yui beamed, no doubt recalling when the boys' volleyball club had gone to nationals in her third year. Saeko and Hitoka had led the Neighborhood Association and the girls' club in cheering for the boys, and Saeko had befriended Yui at that time. Really, it was a random friendship started because of their volleyball ties, but Saeko had persisted and kept it going. Yui was girly and innocent and honest, very unlike the other girls Saeko's own age whom she'd known when she'd tried her hand at university. And Yui partially looked up to her as an older sister, but that was mostly due to their difference in age. Saeko and Ryuunosuke had been adults for so long now that she'd almost forgotten what it was like to be a role model for a younger sibling, so she'd just about stopped acting like one years ago.

                Saeko blinked when Yui chuckled. "What?" She patted her cheeks. "Is there something on my face?" Oh, no. What if that was why those women had gawked at her earlier?

                The brunette shook her head. "No, no, you're fine. You just…" Yui's eyes crinkled as she eased into a gentle smile. "Well, you really have that motherly glow."

                Saeko groaned. "Really?"

                "It's not a bad thing, and it happens to every woman. You should've seen Hayato when I was pregnant. Always a mushy mess about how gorgeous I looked." She sighed. "I love him, but it got old quick, so he toned it down some. Then, before Daisuke was born, he remarked that we should have another right away."

                "Yikes."

                "No, his heart's in the right place. But I told him that we should see how raising one kid goes for now."

                The waiter came and interrupted them. He brought them water and tea, and then the two women ordered, a bowl of soup for Yui and three different items for Saeko. The waiter didn't even bat an eyelash as he told them he'd put the order in right away.

                "Mm," Yui said as she sipped her water. "And Hayato had nothing on Sawamura-kun or Mao-chan. When we asked them to be Daisuke's godparents, they both squealed and said sure and wondered if they could be the godparents again if we have a second child. But Sugawara-kun snapped them out of it."

                Saeko laughed. She could picture her brother's senpai behaving that way easily.

                Daisuke flailed then, so Yui picked him up and cradled him in her arms. "I will say, though… I'm not opposed to giving him a sibling some time down the road." She looked at Saeko. "But enough about me. Your due date's—"

                "Mid-July," the blonde supplied. "Last the doctor said, anyway."

                "Wow. Three and a half months, barely."

                "Yup."

                "So what color did you paint the nursery?"

                "Uh…"

                Yui furrowed her brow. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you guys waiting to learn the gender when the baby's born?"

                "That's part of it…"

                A knowing twinkle shone in Yui's eyes. "Ah. It's not painted yet, is it?"

                Saeko unwrapped a straw and stuck it in her water, blowing bubbles in the liquid. "…yeah. Nothing's done yet."

                "I know you only recently moved in to the house, so it's understandable, Saeko-san. Have you finished unpacking?"

                "No… We were short on time lately, making sure the bar was okay."

                "And now that it is…"

                Saeko nodded. The waiter brought their food, and she dug in, taking large bites while trying not to stuff her cheeks like a hamster. When she broke for air, she resumed their conversation. "No, I know. It's back to being my top priority."

                "Good." Yui nodded and fed Daisuke a spoonful of her lunch, since he was back in his highchair. "Hayato and I were the same, putting things off. We didn't prepare fully until about a month before Daisuke arrived at the end of January last year." She made funny faces at her son as she fed him, but her question was directed at her friend: "Do you want some help?"

                Saeko watched the scene play out, and she envied Yui. She hoped she would be as composed once the baby arrived. "Nah, it's okay. I've got this," she stated, and it struck her that she was echoing what she'd told Akiteru just that morning. She realized it was less fact and more wishful thinking. But, hey, sometimes wishes came true, right?

                After lunch and parting from Yui with the promise to call if Saeko changed her mind and wanted help, the newlywed headed home and tried to get to work.

                She started downstairs in their small living room which flowed out of the kitchen/dining space. They'd pulled the TV out right away, and they'd at least arranged all the furniture downstairs. Boxes were stacked on either side of the TV stand and in the corner by the window. The stack by the window was too tall for her to manage and she couldn't find the stepladder, so she dragged the boxes by the TV over until she could situate herself on the couch to go through them. She turned on the TV and put on the news to keep her company. Then she opened the first box.

                Magazines, magazines, key dish, picture frames wrapped in newspaper for protection… A steel vase she'd welded from the spare parts at the motorcycle shop she'd worked at back in Miyagi. Ah, her studded leather cuff! She'd been looking for that. One of Akiteru's pencil cases. Loose change. Yeesh. Everything but the kitchen sink seemed to be in here. Who'd packed this box anyway?

                Her mind's eye flashed to the hurricane that was the contents of her purse. …oh, yeah.

                Ignoring her poor packing skills, Saeko went about putting things in their right places. The key dish went on the bit of kitchen counter space that was closest to the door. The magazines went half in recycling and half on the coffee table in the living room. The vase went on the coffee table, too, and she put most of the assorted small junk in a drawer in the desk set up behind the couch for Akiteru to use if he ever needed to bring work home. On that thought, she arranged the pencil case on top so he'd see it right away. Beside the pencil case, she placed one of his dinosaur figurines because she couldn't leave all of them in storage—but no way were any of them going on display in their bedroom.

                She went searching in the catchall drawer in the kitchen and found some stick-on hooks. She slapped one on the wall over the desk and hung a calendar, and she arranged several picture frames, too—a couple on the desk, one by the TV, and the rest for upstairs. Once those boxes were empty, she broke them down and tossed them in the recycling pile. Then she took the leftover pictures and went to the second floor.

                Since their house was tiny, the footprint of the second floor included only their bedroom, the nursery, and a large hallway closet. Still, Saeko thought the size was perfect for them.

                In their room, she finished unpacking. It was just clothes anyway, but she located the rest of her jewelry and beauty products. Still, it was nice to have everything hanging up and folded away, especially her mother's old leather jacket, which her mother had gotten from her father a few years before he'd passed.

                Saeko slipped it on and fought back some nostalgic tears once she picked up her mother's scent underneath the leather smell. She shook her head and wiped her eyes, turning to see how she looked in the mirror. The blonde couldn't help laughing—it was big on her. But…she could zip this one over her belly. Saeko kept that in mind as she hung it back up in the closet.

                Outside the window, the sun was setting, which served as a reminder to Saeko of how tired she was. So she lay down on the bed and stretched out, putting her earbuds in and scrolling through the music on her phone. Lunch had been so big that she wasn't hungry, but she tried to think of what to feed Akiteru when he came home. Yet, as m-flo filled her ears and she closed her eyes, her mind drifted to thoughts of cherry popsicles, baby crows, and the smile she woke up to every morning….

                Over the next couple of days, Saeko spent nearly all of her time unpacking. With their room done, she moved back downstairs and cleared out the guestroom—Kei's room, if he took them up on their offer to come live with them—and had Akiteru tear down their version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the living room.

                "Are you sure I can't do more to help?" he asked Friday morning.

                "Nah. You need to get to work. Oh, hold on." She yanked on his tie and Frenched him. When she let him go, she licked her lips and patted his tie. "There. I'm charged up now. So come home quickly and charge me up some more, babe."

                Despite his horrifically pink face, he was used to this enough to kiss her cheek one last time before heading out. "Thank you, though, for taking care of this." He glanced around their home. "It feels…cozier now." He punctuated his spoken thought by hugging her to him. And then he was on his way.

                As she staged more, she had to agree with him—it really did feel like home now. That was kind of a funny thought, in a way. Being with him had felt like home forever, and they've been living together for about seven years. But she knew what he meant.

                She finished the living room, cleaned up here and there, and went up to the nursery. There wasn't much to unpack there since most of the baby stuff was still in its packaging or, in the case of the crib, needed to be assembled. But she located the box with all the reference books which Akiteru's mother had passed along to her. From prenatal care to what to expect in the delivery room to planning for the first year, the books covered most of the bases, if not all of them. She flipped through them and hesitated at a page that talked about how dying in childbirth, though rare, still happened.

                Saeko patted her belly and looked down at it, as if she could see through to her unborn child. "You and me will be all right, though, got it?"

                The silence of the room answered her.

                Her mood lifted only when Akiteru came home, and they watched a movie together before going to bed. With him by her side, she forgot about her fears and felt more like her unstoppable self—the part of her with which Akiteru had fallen in love.

                When they got up in the morning, it was late, but that was fine since it was the weekend. "Plans for today?" he asked her as he made them eggs.

                "Mm, breakfast, I dunno, lunch, I dunno, and then swing by the bar. Gotta check in with the boys."

                Akiteru nodded. "How's Taketora working out at The Roost?"

                "Tora's a sweetie. Ryuu says he was made for the service industry. I feel a bit bad that, even though now we can pay him, it's not much right now. But! His pay will go up once he's been there a few months and once the bar's more financially stable."

                Her husband nodded again. "I know I've said it before, but you and Ryuunosuke both have heads for business."

                Saeko grunted. "Hon, I appreciate that, but if I really knew what I was doing, then we never would've hit that rough patch."

                "No, you likely would've. The economy cycles, Saeko, and it has a crappy cycle every now and then." He raised his eyebrows. "But enough about that. We've got to buy groceries, so that can count as one of the 'I dunnos' on your list."

                She grinned in response.

                The couple lazily ate while they came up with a shopping list and then they left to catch the train. They took their time shopping, leaving buying the cold items for when they'd return, and took their time walking around the city. Akiteru fretted a bit that Saeko could tire too easily, but she assured him that just walking wouldn't do her in.

                When they got peckish, they ate lunch at the same restaurant Saeko and Yui had visited earlier in the week. Then they went into the hardware store beside the big department store and looked at paint samples.

                "Agh, I guess we finally have to do something about the nursery, huh?" Akiteru mumbled as he pulled Saeko along by the hand.

                She swung their arms together, earning them a stern look from an old man up the aisle. She had to force a giggle down. "Well, yeah," she told Akiteru. Saeko paused at the wall of paper samples. "But what should we go with? Purple? Green? Yellow?"

                His face lit up as he looked at the pink hues. "To be honest… I've a gut feeling we're having a girl…"

                "I thought we were gonna wait and be surprised?"

                "Yeah. But I still think it's a girl. Our girl. My girls," he continued blissfully.

                Now she did giggle. "Aki… No pink, though. Even if it is a girl."

                He pouted and sighed.

                They whiled away in the hardware store, asking a female clerk for some babyproofing tips. In the end, they walked out with nothing, but Saeko had a feeling they'd be back.

                From there, it wasn't long to get to The Roost. Night was falling as they approached the bar, and Saeko still got excited whenever she saw the new sign Hitoka had ordered and gotten Takinoue-san to install. It was a neon sign, with "The Roost" spelt in curly English letters—orange in color—and black light katakana and falling feathers. Frankly, the sign was more modern and was nicer-looking than the first one, but Saeko was thankful for it, the renovation, and the new ad campaign Hitoka had orchestrated. They owed a lot to Hitoka and her marketing firm, but Hitoka had wanted to hear nothing of them paying her back. She had deep pockets as company president and she'd been planning this for a long time since she saw her Karasuno friends as her family, and the feeling was mutual.

                Business was good again and it was noisier since they'd traded in the quiet for a new sound system, but there was still a seat at the counter with her name on it. Akiteru spied his brother in the back and left Saeko to go heckle him since Kei had been going through a rough patch of his own recently…at least, that was what Akiteru and Saeko had suspected.

                "Hey, Sis," Ryuunosuke said as she sat down beside a brunet in a suit.

                "Hello to you, too." She winked at the brunet. "Hiya, Chikara."

                He chuckled. "Hello, Saeko-san," her brother's boyfriend said.

                "What's up?" her brother asked. He poured her some water without asking, but she waved him off.

                "Nothing, nothing… I wanted to stop by and see how things were."

                Ryuunosuke gestured to the floor, where Taketora currently was bussing tables between orders. "See for yourself. It's fantastic in here."

                Taketora saw them then and came over, not turning away Saeko's quick hug. "Saeko-san! How are you?"

                Saeko shrugged. "Forever surrounded by handsome guys. Can't complain." She laughed along with her brother as both Chikara and Taketora became flustered.

                "Akiteru-san texted me, said you finished unpacking at last," Ryuunosuke started. The bartender quirked an eyebrow.

                "Mostly finished."

                "Say the word if you need someone to do any manual labor," he added. Taketora nodded along with his words.

                But Saeko dismissed the thought. "Don't worry about it. There's nothing like that left to do. Besides, you're running this place and have Chikara to occupy your free time," she told her brother as she clapped the businessman on the back. "And you," she continued at Taketora, "work mornings at a convenience store when you're not here. Trust me, you two have enough on your plates."

                "Did I hear 'plates'?" a new voice asked, and Yuu popped his head out of the backroom, where the kitchen was.

                Saeko gave the bartender and the waiter a look, signaling that the case was closed, and then she strode into the cook's domain. She caught him up on what had just transpired. "But…"

                "What?" Yuu prompted. Even though the light was dim back here, his eyes were bright and sharp.

                Saeko reached for the bleached tuft of hair hanging in front of his forehead and playfully tugged on it. "Well, I kinda fibbed. We've yet to assemble the crib, but… Yuu, it's not just that Akiteru doesn't really have the time to put it together. I'm, uh, not sure how good he is with tools…"

                The cook grinned. "Leave it to me! I'll come over on my next day off and do it for you."

                She kissed his cheek. "Thank you so much! God, what a relief."

                "It's no problem. I kinda miss my part-time work at the construction company and now the reno here is done…" He perked up when he saw the worry on her face. "But it's much better having more hours here!"

                Saeko gave him a quick hug. "Ahh, Yuu… You really are another little brother… So reliable…"

                He followed her out of the backroom and passed an order to Taketora. "It's nothing. And let me know if you need anything fixed around the house," he added, a bit louder than necessary.

                She gave him a funny look and thought she saw him exchange a conspiratorial wink with Ryuunosuke, but she didn't have time to question it. Akiteru joined her, and they still had to get the rest of their groceries. So they left the bar to finish up the day's errands.

                "You're so prompt, Yuu," she told the cook on Thursday as she let him in.

                Yuu kicked his shoes off, a bag slung over his shoulder. "I was only ever late to anything in high school. I've tried to change my ways since then, Saeko-nee-san." He motioned to the stairs. "Ryuu said it's upstairs?"

                She nodded and followed him to the nursery. When she opened the door to the room, she pointed to the box. "I mean, it's a kit, so I don't think there should be much for you to do. Think you can knock it out in one afternoon?"

                He shook his head and checked his watch. "No… I had to fit this in on my lunch break at the flower shop."

                "Whatever you can get done today would be great, and you can finish next Thursday." She paused to take a few bills out of her pocket. "I wanted to pay you for this, too."

                Yuu shook his head again. "You don't need to, and I don't want it. Save up to buy the kid a volleyball instead," he joked, setting his bag on the floor and taking off his sweatshirt to tie it around his waist.

                Awkwardly, she tucked the money back in her pocket.

                "Now go relax."

                "What?"

                Yuu jabbed a thumb at his chest. "Didn't I say so? Leave it to me! I'm still Karasuno's guardian deity," he added, again as a joke, but his eyes softened.

                "All right," Saeko caved. She left him to it before he could usher her out. Downstairs, she kept the TV volume down low so as to try and hear him, but—just as when he was on the volleyball court—he was surprisingly quiet.

                She gave up after four minutes of silence and found an afternoon variety show to watch. When her stomach growled, she grabbed a bag of shrimp chips. But what about Yuu? "Are you hungry?" she hollered up the staircase.

                "I'm good!" he called. "Don't come up here!"

                She cocked her head to one side. "It's a crib, Yuu. You can't tell me it's dangerous up there."

                "Just trust me!"

                Saeko didn't like being told that, but she returned to her show. Twenty minutes later, Yuu traipsed downstairs, his sweatshirt on and his bag over his shoulder. "…that was fast," the blonde remarked.

                "It's not done," he told her.

                "Then—"

                "There were some missing screws. Always are with kits." He patted his pocket. "I'm taking one with me so I can match them at the hardware store."

                "Oh. Thanks."

                Yuu gave her a thumb's up. "Yup. I'll come back on my next day off to finish things up."

                She followed him to the door. "So is it half done or…?"

                "Thereabouts. Oh! And don't go peeking!"

                Peeking? Why would she peek at a half-done crib? "All right, all right…"

                Confident in her promise, Yuu left to finish his shift at Shared Stem, the flower shop.

                In all honesty, Saeko didn't see what the fuss was. She told Akiteru about it, but he didn't think it was a big deal, either. Days passed, and Saeko put it out of her mind. For two days. "Just take a look, a quick one," she begged Akiteru.

                He rolled his golden eyes. "What happened to not caring about it?"

                "C'mon. You didn't honestly believe me?"

                Akiteru sighed. "Then go in yourself, Saeko."

                "No, Aki… I told Yuu I wouldn't." She smiled impishly. "But you didn't make that promise."

                Stumped, the salesman trudged up to the nursery. After a minute, he rejoined his wife in the kitchen. "I looked. It's just a half-done crib, honey."

                Saeko twisted her lips around, unsatisfied…but, truthfully, she didn't know what she'd been expecting. So she waited it out, and, when the following Thursday arrived, she let Yuu in enthusiastically because finally she'd see what he was scheming—right?

                Yuu dashed upstairs without preamble, but Saeko could've sworn she saw something sticking out of his bag. Still, she behaved and pretended to watch TV downstairs while he worked.

                Forty-five minutes later he still had said nothing. "Okay, it does not take this long to put a freaking crib together," she groused to herself as she stomped up to the nursery. She grabbed the door handle and swung the door open, announcing, "Yuu, this has gone on—" She stopped short, blinking.

                He froze, paintbrush in hand. He coughed and, after an odd beat, mumbled, "I'm…not done yet."

                Clearly, he was. Almost. The crib had been fully assembled, but there were other things Saeko hadn't been expecting. Screwed into the headboard was a mobile, with suns, moons, and stars dangling at a safe height from it. They glided gently in slow circles, and her eyes were drawn into the crib. Simple felt, plush crows were arranged on the same end as the mobile, like a row of pillows. One had orange hair like Shouyou, another had glasses like Kei, and another had a bald head like Ryuunosuke. As if that weren't enough, Yuu had been painting little crows that looked like all of them on the thick legs of the crib. On the headboard were crow versions of Saeko and Akiteru. Yuu had been painting freckles on a Tadashi crow when she'd interrupted.

                His face burned bright red. "It was supposed to be a surprise…"

                Laughter and tears bubbled up within her, and she wasn't certain which came out first when she reached into the crib to pull out the Kei crow plushie. "Oh, my god…," she whispered. "These are—they—" She sniffled. "This is perfect." She looked at the younger man with blurry eyes. "You did all this?"

                Yuu held up a hand to stop her. "The only thing I've done by myself is paint the crib." He smiled, looking less flustered and more like his typical self. "I got Asahi-san, Ryuu, and Chikara to help me with the stuffed animals and the mobile." The cook hopped up from resting on his haunches. "Just so you know, we made Shouyou, Ryuu, and Tsukishima first since we decided they're the most recognizable. But we'll make everyone in due time."

                Now she did laugh. "Even Tobio? I don't want to scare my kid."

                "Yeah, Kageyama's a problem. I guess we just won't have his smile."

                Saeko laughed again and pulled him in for a suffocating hug.

                Yuu hugged her back but pulled away before things turned too emotional. "I have to head back to work, Saeko-nee-san." He glanced at the paintbrush still in his hand. "Well, after…y'know. I told Tachibana I might run a bit late today."

                "No! No, yeah… That's fine… Just not too late," she scolded, and he nodded before she let him finish his work in peace. She returned to the living room and glanced around, seeing everything with fresh eyes—

                The volleyball magazines on the coffee table.

                The team picture on the fridge from when Ryuunosuke and Yuu and Kei and the rest had won nationals in Ryuunosuke's second year.

                The drafts on the desk, of the next promotional idea Hitoka wanted The Roost to use.

                Saeko patted her jeans pockets for her phone and found the device on the coffee table, between the magazines and the steel vase. She dialed her husband.

                "Saeko? What's wrong? It's the middle of the day." Worry leaked into his tone.

                "Check your watch again, Aki. It's only after lunch."

                A pause. Then— "Oh."

                "But that's not the point." The ends of her lips curved up, and she wondered if he could hear the smile in her voice. "I know what color we should paint the nursery."

                Akiteru backed away to get a full view of his efforts. "You were right."

                "I often am." Saeko passed him an iced tea as they looked around. It wasn't an assembly, just painting, so she had confidence that he could do this. She'd helped him cover and tape what needed to be paint-free, and then he'd set about painting the walls. And they looked brilliant.

                "Orange cream," he breathed. He paused and glanced at the paint can. "Actually, this says 'Cream Orange.' Does that make a difference?"

                "Nah." Saeko slipped her arm around his waist. "The pale orange looks great, though."

                "Karasuno colors," he remarked with a chuckle. He threw an arm around his wife's shoulders and leaned down to kiss her temple. "A stroke of genius. I'm stunned it didn't hit us sooner."

                She shrugged. "It might've come to us eventually," she said. She picked up the Ryuunosuke stuffed crow. "Yui and I had talked about it even, Karasuno tying us all together."

                "The Roost," he pointed out.

                Yeah. The Karasuno ties probably would never end, and she liked that.

                "So, pale orange," he started again, closing up the paint can and pushing the brush and tray out of the way so he could walk around a bit. "I guess it fits for our surprise baby."

                Saeko nodded in agreement.

                "So boy or girl…"

                She glanced at him.

                "Your looks or mine…"

                She smirked.

                "Ryuunosuke's personality or Kei's…," he continued, though now he looked a tad green.

                She laughed and went to him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. "I like to think our kid will be a blend of us," she whispered, her voice muffled by his shirt. "Tall and spunky. A killer smile. Golden brown eyes." Saeko looked up at him just as he pecked her nose tip.

                "You were right," he agreed. "We're ready for this."

                And who was she to argue with herself?

I love them a lot, and I was so happy when writing the first Ennotana fic to have a mention of them, because I think they're really cute. I love how Akiteru is around her, and I like that she's herself with him. -w- (Ngl, I REALLY want them to be canon for real. :3c) Anyway! The style for this fic is just a wee bit different since it's kinda from Saeko's POV, which is why almost everyone was referred to by their first names here. The "Mao-chan" Yui mentioned is Aihara Mao, the blonde, ponytailed girl from Karasuno's girls' volleyball club, and Yui's friend (and, of course, now that I'm thinking of Mao, I've added her to the cast list, but if she gets a story, it'll be waaay in the future, *lol*). Also, Akiteru does have a thing for dinos just as Tsukki does (we see them on the shelf in his room in Tsukki's flashbacks). It's also funny to me, writing this after writing Tsukkiyama in "Constant," because I picked up on certain habits I've had the Tanaka siblings and the Tsukishima siblings share… ;] It's also funny to me that Saeko's such a hugger, but it just makes sense, y'know? Also! Gods, I love the surprise Noya planned… XD And if you're wondering about his other job[s], then please go read "Glass Shards." :3 Lastly, the title is the same as the Clazziquai song, "Brown Gold Eyes," which is sad yet still fits this fic? *ideka*

So thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link at the top of the post! If you'd like a peek into Yamamoto's personal life, head on over to "Stray Cats"! In the meantime, the 6th Ennotana fic in the BoaF collection, "Opportunity," will take some time to come out, as there will be several side stories to go along with it. So I hope these fics can keep you satisfied; otherwise, there are plenty of other fics I've written to satisfy your reader hunger while you wait!