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“Shiro, comeoncomeoncomeon!” Keith bounces in his seat impatiently, looking longingly out his window to the school entrance. He reminds Shiro a little of a puppy, and it makes him chuckle.
“Yeah, bud, hold up,” Shiro says, distracted as he backs into a parking spot.
It’s Exhibit Day today at Keith’s preschool, and it’s all Keith’s been able to talk about for the past week, nevermind that it means he has to go to school on a Saturday. He’s particularly eager to show Shiro the macaroni art he made of Dog (their husky, whose name is Dog for reasons unbeknownst to everybody but Keith).
“Alright, little man,” Shiro starts, twisting to face Keith in the backseat. “You ready?”
Keith nods so fast it makes him visibly dizzy. Shiro gets out of the car, opening Keith’s door and unbuckling his seatbelt, only for him to shoot out of the vehicle like a torpedo. He answers Shiro’s squawked Keith! with a raspberry.
“Hey, you know the deal,” Shiro reminds him, gently running his hand through Keith’s hair. Keith swats him away, face scrunched. “Ice cream later only if you’re good.”
“You get me ice cream anyway,” Keith points out.
“Yeah but you shouldn’t say it,” complains Shiro. He looks down to find Keith staring up at him blankly, almost snooty in how much of a non-reaction it is. It makes him laugh. “Fine. You win. Lead the way.”
Keith does. He leads the both of them to Keith’s classroom with easy familiarity, and it doesn’t escape Shiro’s notice that Keith gets faster and faster the closer they get. At some point, Keith breaks into a full on run.
“Keith, what are you—”
He crashes right into long legs, wrapping arms around them with a happy, “Adam!”
“Oh! Hello, Keith.”
And oh, okay, wow.
Shiro wouldn’t say he’s the most participative guardian in the school, but he’s definitely participative enough. He helps out with the annual bake sale, sucks up to the moms so Keith gets cookies, and volunteers to chaperone school trips when he has the time to. He’s friendly with most of the school’s staff. So, in theory, Shiro would know if the most beautiful man on Earth was working at Keith’s school.
The thing with theory is that it can only ever be 99.99% correct.
But Shiro is nothing if not adaptable. Okay, so he’s never met the guy. Whatever. That can be fixed.
He watches as the man—Adam, he remembers Keith calling him—bends down to talk to Keith. He’s lean, wearing a green sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and he’s giving Keith his undivided attention, which is altogether a very attractive sight. Shiro lets himself get lost in thought for a moment, but is startled out of his reverie by a kind, “Hello there.”
It’s aimed at him, Shiro knows. Adam has straightened up to stand at his full height, and his smile is so nice.
He’s got one shot to make a good impression, he realizes, and to wow Adam’s socks off. He can do smooth. He can do charming. He opens his mouth and says,
“You aren’t Mrs. Conner.”
Oh my god, Shiro thinks to himself in horror.
It doesn’t seem to faze the other man. Smile still in place, he says, “She went on leave a couple of weeks ago. I’m just taking over until she comes back.” He extends his hand out, and Shiro can’t help but notice how truly pretty his hand is. “Adam.”
“I’m, uh”—hurriedly, he takes Adam’s hand—“Keith’s brother.” For a second, Shiro considers dropping everything and disappearing to Florida.
Adam’s smile only grows. He lets go, and sets his hand on the desk beside him. “Mr. Shirogane, then? Keith talks a lot about you.”
“Shiro is fine.” Why is this so hard? “And, uh, only good things, I hope.”
“Of course.” Adam’s eyes twinkle as he says this, and Shiro is 99% certain he catches Adam winking at Keith. From beside him, he hears Keith giggle.
Adam isn’t just good with Keith. He’s amazing with Keith. Shiro is so screwed.
He can’t help himself when he asks, “Why haven’t I seen you around before?” And then, when he realizes how that sounds, he stammers out, “I just mean— Well, you’re kind of hard to miss.”
Adam laughs at that, and Shiro decides then and there that he’s going to make Adam laugh again, whatever it takes. It’s a heavenly sound. “I’m a part-timer, so that’s probably why. I’m still working on my Masters.”
“I’ve heard of you though. They call you wonderboy in the staff room. Was always curious about that,” he says, the corner of his mouth twisting up. Holy crap, is Adam flirting? Before Shiro can think of a response, Adam directs his attention to Keith. “Keith, why don’t you show Shiro your work?”
“Okay.” Keith grins up at Shiro, excited and toothy. He’s buzzing with so much anticipation that it’s a little infectious, and Shiro’s chest swells with affection. He grins in return and ruffles Keith’s hair.
“Ready when you are.”
Keith takes one last look at Adam, who nods encouragingly, before taking Shiro on a tour of the classroom. The four walls are covered in art and a bunch of other activities from Keith and his classmates, and Keith points out each and every one of the ones he made—a clock face he made, a handprint turkey, an acrostic poem he wrote about bugs, and a drawing of himself, Shiro, and Dog at the celebrating a birthday, “My Happiest Memory” written across the top in bold, blue letters.
Shiro takes a picture of that last one.
Keith is still, craning his head around until he finds what he’s looking for. “You got any more to show me, bud?” Shiro asks.
Keith nods. “I’m going to show you my pizza resistance!”
“Piece de resistance,” Adam gently corrects.
Keith nods. “Pizza resistance.”
He shuffles Shiro around until they’re standing in front of... something. It’s an amalgamation of dry macaroni shells sloppily painted in black and white, glued together in the vague shape of an animal. Under it is “Keith’s Macaroni Art” in fun, colorful lettering. “Huh.”
“Shiro,” Keith calls excitedly. He tugs at Shiro’s pant leg. “Do you like it?”
“That’s Dog?” Shiro blinks down at the monstrosity in front of him.
“Yeah,” Keith says. He frowns up at Shiro. “Can’t you tell?”
No, Shiro cannot.
“Of course I can,” Shiro says brightly. He catches Adam stifling laughter in his periphery but forces himself to keep his eyes on Keith. “It looks just like him!”
“Really?” Keith is a little shy now, and Shiro can’t have that.
“It’s perfect!” He hoists Keith up and rests him on his hip. Keith screams in delight. “Can I keep it?”
“Adam, can he?” Keith asks Adam behind them. Shiro spins them around so that he can see too, and is treated to the soft smile Adam sends Keith’s way.
“When school ends, it’s all yours,” he assures. “Promise.” He traces an X pattern over his heart solemnly, and Keith nods.
“Adam always keeps his promises,” Keith tells Shiro, and the certainty in Keith’s voice startles a laugh out of him. He startles wriggling in Shiro’s hold, which Shiro takes as his cue to put Keith down.
“He does, huh?” It’s directed at Keith, but he glances at Adam.
“I try my best to,” Adam quips. He’s leaning against his desk, and Shiro is struck by how effortlessly handsome he is. To Keith, he says, “Told you he’d like it, didn’t I?”
Keith shies away from Adam’s gaze, but Shiro can tell he’s very pleased. “Shiro promised me ice cream if he did.”
“Hey! That was so not the deal,” Shiro says. As Keith opens his mouth to argue, he continues, “but, okay, you still get your ice cream.”
“Best be on your way then,” says Adam. “Before the day gets too cold for it.”
It’s fast becoming obvious just how highly Keith regards Adam’s words. Shiro figures that if Adam said that the sky was pink, Keith would believe him without a second thought. He nods seriously and tugs on Shiro’s hand. “Let’s go.”
“Say bye to Adam first, then we can go,” Shiro tells him. Keith doesn’t hesitate to throw himself at Adam’s legs in a hug, mumbling a bye into the fabric of Adam’s jeans.
“I’ll see you on Monday, Keith,” Adam says, patting Keith’s head before he pulls away. He sets his eyes on Shiro, warm and almost alluring. “Thanks for coming. It was great meeting you.”
Adam extends his hand again, and this time, Shiro doesn’t fumble when he takes it. “Yeah, uh. Thanks for telling me the staff calls me wonderboy.” He doesn’t let go of Adam’s hand, not yet. He notices that Adam hasn’t made any moves to pull away either. “Pleasure was all mine.”
After a moment, though, Adam does take his hand back, but not without brushing their palms together. “See you around, Shiro.”
Shiro really hopes so.
They take their leave then, Adam seeing them off with a smile and a parting wave.
“Can I get sprinkles on my ice cream?” Keith asks when they get back to their car and Shiro buckles him in.
In a happy daze, Shiro replies, “Oh, buddy, you can get whatever you want.”