#kunigiri fluff

[headhedgehog]

Kunigami happily accepted a cup of tea from his sister-in-law as she joined him on the couch. His husband was sprawled on the floor next to his tiny niece, watching with rapt attention as she reached for toys just out of her reach.

"Okay, kiddo, warp speed," Chigiri said to the baby, gently scooping her up and moving her closer to the toys. "Uncle Hyoma will have you running all over the place before you know it."

"Hyoma, please, I've only got so much energy," Chigiri's sister moaned from the couch. "Let her take her time to start running, okay?"

Chigiri shot her his best annoying-little-brother grin and turned his attention back to the baby.

"He's better with her than I expected," Chigiri's sister said to Kunigami. "He's never been much of a kid person. Classic youngest child, y'know?"

"She may have converted him, he talks about her all the time. He's very excited to be Bad Influence Uncle Hyoma when she's older."

"Goddamnit." She took a beat, watching her brother with a soft expression on her face. "Have you two thought about having your own?"

"What, by magic?"

"Stop it, you know there are plenty of ways for gay couples to have children."

"Now you sound like my mother." Kunigami watched his husband giggle at the baby's attempts to mimic his expressions. "I always thought I'd be a father some day, but when we got married I let it go. Hyoma told me he didn't want kids before I proposed and that's okay with me. Hyoma's enough."

The baby started to fuss, and Chigiri stood and scooped her up, snuggled her to his chest. She settled almost immediately and cuddled closer to her uncle. Within a few minutes, she was asleep.

"Sorry Hyoma, I think you might be stuck like that for a bit," his sister said.

"I don't mind, let her sleep."

Watching Chigiri sway gently with the sleeping girl, his thumb gently rubbing the back of her head, did something to Kunigami's heart. Chigiri just looked right holding a baby, in spite of his prickly, anything-but-gentle personality. Kunigami had always been the more domestic of the two, had always valued a peaceful, comfortable home life above almost all else after his turn in the Wild Card program. But even he didn't have the same ease with children that Chigiri had with his niece.

Maybe, he realized, he wasn't totally ready to give up on the idea of fatherhood.

----------------------------------------

Whether Kunigami was ready to be a father or not turned out to matter less than whether he was ready to broach the subject with his husband.

Over the following weeks, Chigiri fell into a depression that left him tired and crabby. They'd rode out several episodes like this before, and Kunigami knew from experience it was no time to ask Chigiri to think very deeply about anything. Kunigami turned his attention to making sure Chigiri ate a decent amount and drank water.

Unfortunately, a depressed Chigiri was not a chatty Chigiri, which meant Kunigami had space to spiral.

By the time he sat on the couch two weeks later, Chigiri's head on his lap, Kunigami had convinced himself that not only would his husband never want a baby, but that even suggesting a baby would be the end of their marriage.

"Okay, Hero, what's going on with you?" Chigiri asked, eyes still closed as he leaned into Kunigami's fingers scratching his scalp.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm laying right next to your stomach, babes, you've got a riot going on in there," Chigiri heaved himself up so he could look at his husband. "And usually when I'm in a funk you talk at me constantly and you've been quiet for days. What's bothering you?"

"It's nothing, just a work issue that's been stuck in my mind, nothing to worry about."

Chigiri narrowed his eyes. "A work issue? What's happening at work?"

"Argument with a player. They...are refusing to follow concussion protocol."

"Who?"

"You wouldn't know him."

"Ren, you're a medic for Manshine."

"Right."

"I play for Manshine. I know all of the players. Nobody's been out for a concussion lately."

"It just happened...in the weight room. Yesterday."

Chigiri scooted further away to better look at Kunigami's whole body.

"Why are you lying to me, Rensuke?"

Kunigami looked away. His cheeks were hot.

"If you don't tell me what's going on right now I'm going to lose my goddamned mind."

"You look really adorable and happy with your niece and I want to talk about kids with you! But you've always said you don't want them and I'm afraid you're going to get upset!"

Chigiri blinked at him.

"You want a baby?"

"...yes. I think so. Or I want to think about it? Maybe a kid, if we adopt?"

"Didn't we decide we weren't doing the kid thing?"

"Yes, that's the point of revisiting the subject."

Chigiri blinked and sat back onto the couch. Kunigami's ears were ringing and his heart was racing. He wondered, distantly, if he was having a stroke.

"I don't hate the idea as much as I used to," Chigiri said finally.

"What?"

"You're right, I've really enjoyed helping my sister with the baby. And I like watching you take care of people at work, you're really good at it. So...yeah. I don't hate the idea of having a kid as much as I used to."

"Is that a yes?"

Chigiri laughed, leaned in to kiss Kunigami's cheek. "It's a 'lets think about it.'"

______________________________________

Kunigami's alarm went off and he rolled over, intent on cuddling his husband for a bit before getting up. But the other side of the bed was empty, the blankets tucked tightly around his body.

Confused, he padded out to the kitchen only to be met with the adorable sight of Chigiri making breakfast while holding their baby girl on his hip, happily chatting with her as if she were responding.

"How long have you been up? I didn't even hear her cry," Kunigami said as he kissed them both.

"She didn't, I'm just on her schedule now."

Kunigami hummed and took the little girl so Chigiri could use both hands to cook. Kunigami's sister had been their surrogate, and she was Chigiri's clone with soft pink hair and eyes and features that looked angular even with her baby fat. Even so, Kunigami could see hints of his family in her expressions and height, far taller than average for her age.

She giggled and tugged at the loose ends of hair sticking out of Chigiri's bun. Kunigami grabbed her tiny hand, her fingers wrapped around his thumb. He grinned, kissed Chigiri again. He'd never been so happy.

[headhedgehog]

Cherry wine

When he remembered that winter, Kunigami Rensuke tasted cherries. 

Bright and floral as spring, bittersweet and fleeting as summer. The unmistakable, incongruous flavor of Chigiri Hyoma’s attention. 

He landed in Munich the day after Manshine’s season ended, his pink hair half-up and his carry-on packed within an inch of its life. It hit the floor when Chigiri fell into Kunigami’s arms, was ignored as its owner buried his face in the crook of Kunigami’s neck.

“I missed you so much,” he breathed into Kunigami’s ear. 

“I missed you too.”

—-----------------------------------------

Hyoma had never been in Kunigami’s home in Germany. Blue Lock and Wild Card left Kunigami hollow and struggling to connect with anyone, let alone the boy who spent the entirety of the first and second selections hunting for places they could be alone together. When they’d gone off with their respective teams, Kunigami assumed their relationship was over. 

Until he got a birthday card, care of the Bastard Munchen front office.

Happy birthday, Hero. Call me? Followed by a phone number. 

Had he gotten that card three weeks earlier, he would’ve thrown it in the trash. He was still haunted by the look on Chigiri’s face when they parted for the last time. Chigiri tried to hug him, but Kunigami stepped back, left Chigiri to shove his hands in his pockets. 

“Bye, Hero,” Chigiri had muttered. His eyes were the only hint that he was wounded by the rejection.

“Bye, Chigiri.” Not Princess, as Chigiri’s friends affectionately called him. Not Hyoma, as he’d been in Kunigami’s arms. Chigiri. Formal, cold.

Final.

But Kunigami’s arrival in Germany – and his merciful separation from Ego – felt like a new chapter. As he learned to navigate Munich and got roped into outings with teammates, Kunigami noticed flashes of his old self. He blushed when a teammate complimented a pass he made; he remembered to ask about Noa’s sick mother. 

And then his older sister started calling him. She didn’t seem to care that Kunigami barely responded to her, let alone ask her anything. Instead, she called every few days and talked at him about their younger sister, their parents, the neighbor’s new dog, her graduate program. He surprised himself by not hanging up, surprised himself even more by calling her first after two weeks. 

So, when he flopped onto his bed the night after receiving Chigiri’s note, it felt reasonable to dial the number provided.

“Kunigami?”

Chigiri’s voice broke something loose in Kunigami’s chest. He cleared his throat in a vain attempt to mask his emotions.

“Thank you for the card.”

There was a pause. “You’re welcome. I hope you enjoyed your birthday.”

The cool formality made Kunigami feel worse. “I wasn’t expecting you to reach out. After…everything.”

“I missed you.” 

Chigiri said it like he was discussing the weather. Tears Kunigami couldn’t account for rolled down his cheeks, quiet sobs filling the silence between them.

“Are you crying? Kunigami, I’m sorry, if I’d thought it would upset you I wouldn’t have sent the card –”

“I missed you too,” Kunigami choked out. “I’m so sorry for the way I treated you, Chigiri. You didn’t deserve that. I – Wild Card was a mistake. I shouldn’t have stayed there, not if it hurt you –”

“What happened, Kunigami? What did they do to you?”

Kunigami sighed and began from the moment Chigiri was stolen by Isagi’s team in the second selection. When the sun rose the next morning, Kunigami woke up to find that they’d never hung up. Chigiri’s soft snores were audible through the phone; when Kunigami ended the call his chest ached with a longing he no longer had words to describe. 

The calls became nightly occurrences without discussion; texts throughout the day became constant. Kunigami felt his phone buzz in his pocket and knew immediately who it was, smiled preemptively.

Bzzt. This you? [1 attachment: photo of a golden retriever]

Bzzt. I swear if Nagi falls asleep on my gym bag one more time I will strangle him

Bzzt. Can we eat dinner on video call tonight? I’m lonely.

They never openly flirted, never hinted that they were interested in anything beyond romance. Not that Kunigami wasn’t interested – Chigiri made him feel alive in a way he hadn’t since he was eliminated from Blue Lock. He admired Chigiri’s constant reading and his nuanced thoughts on the books he finished, even if Kunigami never had much to contribute to those conversations. He loved Chigiri’s ability to make anything into an amusing story, his beautiful laugh and the way his nose wrinkled when he smiled. 

No, Kunigami wasn’t so far gone that he couldn’t recognize his crush on Chigiri. But reading others’ feelings was still difficult for him. He only hoped he wasn’t pushing Chigiri away.

And then Bastard Munchen and Manshine City played each other in the UCL. 

Kunigami and Chigiri were both starters for the game, and it took everything Kunigami had not to stop and watch Chigiri run. He was more beautiful than Kunigami remembered, a pink blur against the walls of the pitch. Kunigami wanted nothing more than to fall into step with him, to guard him so he could run forever. 

When Kunigami got to the locker room after the game, there was already a text from Chigiri waiting on his phone.

“Dinner?”

If asked, Kunigami wouldn’t be able to recall a single detail from the meal. They went somewhere one of Chigiri’s teammates suggested; they talked too much to eat more than a few bites of their food. Kunigami paid the check; Chigiri led the way back to his hotel room. 

They didn’t hold hands as they walked. Kunigami desperately wanted to, longed to feel Chigiri’s delicate fingers laced with his own, but the idea of Chigiri pulling away hurt worse than the wanting. The hotel room had a couch, and they sat at opposite ends, the conversation from dinner ongoing. 

At some point they moved to sit next to each other. Testing the waters, Kunigami rested his arm over the back of the couch and felt the purest relief of his life when Chigiri cuddled into his side. 

When morning came, Kunigami woke up on the couch with Chigiri asleep on his chest. They kissed when they parted. For the rest of the day, Kunigami searched for the taste of Chigiri on his lips.

Their texts and calls became more explicitly romantic after that, but even so Kunigami couldn’t bring himself to ask how Chigiri understood their relationship. But when the season came to a close and Chigiri floated the idea of visiting him in Germany, Kunigami said yes without a second thought. 

If he’d set up the guest room, just in case, that was no one’s business but his own.

—----------------------------------------------------

They spent the first evening in Kunigami’s kitchen, cooking and standing closer to one another than strictly necessary. The overstuffed carry-on remained near the front door, nagging that they hadn’t discussed where Chigiri would sleep.

“Kunigami,” Chigiri said when they finally settled in to watch a movie, half-cuddled together under a blanket. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Did I scare you that morning after the tournament? With the kiss?”

Kunigami blinked. “What do you mean?”

“You practically ran away. I know you had to leave, but –”

“I have thought about that kiss every day.”

Chigiri leaned away for a moment, considered Kunigami. Tentatively, he pushed the blanket off his legs and brought his hand to Kunigami’s cheek.

The kiss was better than the one in the hotel, better than any they’d shared at Blue Lock. Chigiri was warm and smelled like home. The soft touch of his lips broke something in Kunigami; in a moment his arms were around the smaller man’s body, his fingers tangled in pink hair, his tongue in Chigiri’s mouth. Chigiri moaned into the kiss and climbed into Kunigami’s lap. 

“Should we go to the bedroom?” Chigiri panted after a moment. He was a vision, his lips kiss-red and hair tousled, his eyes hooded and shiny. 

In reply, Kunigami stood, his hands under Chigiri’s thighs, and carried him down the hall.

—-----------------------------------------------

They slept late into the morning, tangled up in the sheets. Kunigami woke first, Chigiri’s hair in his mouth. He removed it and rolled over to spoon his lover. 

“Morning, Hero,” Chigiri said, his voice still thick with sleep.

“Morning, Hyoma.” 

[headhedgehog]

A soft pink topknot tickled Chigiri's cheek as he walked down the street near his home. He tried to shift his daughter without waking her, but the way she'd nuzzled into the crook of his neck make it impossible. She murmured in her sleep and he kissed the crown of her head to quiet her. His husband's hand was on his back as they walked, softly rubbing the space between Chigiri's shoulders.

"You want me to take her?" Kunigami asked. "You've been carrying her all night."

"Nah, we're almost there."

Had someone told him at 15 that he'd be married with a three-year-old before he turned 30, he'd have called them delusional. As he watched Kunigami unlock their front door and felt their daughter's warm breath on his neck, he was glad his teenage self was wrong.

He carefully toed off his shoes before carrying the little girl up to her room. Kunigami followed, turned down her blankets so Chigiri could settle her into bed.

"We probably should've woken her up and had her brush her teeth," Chigiri said as Kunigami tucked the girl's flowery duvet around her.

"Nah, let her sleep. One night won't hurt."

They snuck out of the room and padded down to the living room. Kunigami sat on the couch, pulled Chigiri into his lap, brushed Chigiri's hair behind his ears.

"I love how much Keiko loves you," Kunigami said, his words punctuated by kisses.

"You say that like she doesn't love you just as much."

"Sure she does. But you're the one she wants when she's tired or upset, you're the one she wants to play with. You're her daddy." Kunigami gave the last word a cutesy tinge.

"Okay, Papa," Chigiri shot back, using the title Keiko had bestowed upon Kunigami. "But if she's scared, or wants to play football, or wants help with something, she goes straight for you."

Kunigami gave Chigiri a lopsided smile and kissed his jaw.

"You know what I think?" Chigiri asked.

"Hm?"

"I think you're jealous she looks so much like me." Chigiri playfully ran his fingers through Kunigami's hair. "I think you see how well Keiko matches me and are madly jealous of our beauty."

"Hush."

"Am I riiight?"

Kunigami laughed and pulled Chigiri to his chest. "You're both gorgeous, but if you think I don't recognize that as a bid for complements, you underestimate me."

Chigiri huffed against Kunigami's chest and allowed himself to be cuddled.

------------------------------------------------

"Keiko! C'mon, we have to go soon!" Kunigami called from the kitchen. He turned to the counter and took a quick inventory; Keiko's school snack, Chigiri's coffee, water bottles for all three of them...

"Coming, Papa!" He heard the little girl's footsteps as she bounded down the stairs. Before he could call out for her to slow down, he heard Chigiri's equally quick footsteps and shook his head. The pink-haired man and girl skidded into the kitchen, giggling.

"You're gonna fall down the stairs one of these days," Kunigami chided as he picked Keiko up and let her hold onto his neck.

"Daddy would catch me." Kunigami saw Chigiri grin; the girl sounded just like Chigiri when she argued.

"Daddy isn't as fast as he used to be, you need a better backup plan."

"Excuse you," Chigiri gasped in mock-offense.

Kunigami kissed the braid Chigiri had woven into Keiko's hair and set her on her feet, pushed her gently toward the door. "Okay, okay, we're gonna be late."

"Why can't I come to the stadium with you?" Keiko whined as Kunigami buckled her into her carseat.

"Because, Lovebug, Daddy and Papa are going to work, and you need to go to school before you can get a job. "

"Did you learn to play football in school?"

"I played football in school."

"Will I play football in school?"

"If you want to, when you're a little bigger."

Chigiri had his eyes closed when Kunigami got into the driver's seat. He turned to Kunigami and mouthed, "questions. all. morning." Kunigami bit his lip to keep from laughing as he put his hand behind Chigiri's headrest and backed out of the garage.