Valentines Day was by far busier than Jun had anticipated. Fortunately, it was not a school day, the schools in the area had broken up for a week and a bit just the day before, which meant Shaheed was free to work. However, due to the sour face he produced that morning (he was pitying himself for not having a girlfriend and having to sell flowers to those that did) Eiko roped her husband into making the deliveries of preordered flowers. Several of these orders were not the standard bunch of flowers, beautifully arranged, but fairly standard as a gift of affection for Valentines Day. The unusualness of Jun's displays had caught the eye of men and women who wished for something a little different to present to their lovers. His work had less flowers, but were more expensive as each display could be considered unique and more time consuming for the man who produced them, that and there was the cost of whichever bowl, vase or ornament that held the displays to consider. Hideaki complained sulkily once he'd returned from the morning's round of deliveries and Eiko comforted him indulgently, while Jun glanced at them from the corner of his eye with a soft smile upon his face. The sales of roses, bouquets and other apparel were not few that morning. People heading to work illegally parked, ran in and grabbed an already created bouquet, paying hurriedly before rushing back out of the shop. Those thinking of picking up chocolates from a confectionary shop a couple of streets over or cheaper ones from the convenience store past by and on a whim entered to pick up a single rose or cheap carnations. Or perhaps they were on their way back from those stores. And then there was the steady stream of traffic of those who had phone ahead of time, but didn't want or couldn't have their flowers delivered, so came in to pick them up personally. The shop was not large, more than two people at the counter was enough, another body simply was too much in the space. So they would take it in turns to rest in Jun's apartment, keep an eye on both Keiichi and baby Akahito. In Jun's case, he might take a few broken stems or roses that did not have the length of stem desired as an individual or bouquet purchase and make an ikebana display or two, while Kei watched another episode of Kung Fu Guardians. And once, Jun came to put the kettle on, while there was a brief lull in the shop to find Shaheed sitting cross legged and serious, opposite Kei and with Akahito in his lap, producing a scene with Kei and his action figures plus a few toy cars and dinosaurs. He kept quiet about it, not wanting to embarrass the teen. The lunch hour brought another heady rush, mostly for single stem roses as lovers and partners went to meet their other half's for lunch or perhaps for the afternoon, beginning a long weekend now rather than at the standard end of the working day. It was a little quieter after the second hour of the afternoon, a moment to quickly fill displays with any available stock from the small stockroom, that was only needed for peak times like this day. And then came the last rush of the day, as men and women left work for home, perhaps to see their loved ones there or to get ready for an evening date, they had left it to the last minute to buy flowers and would grab from garages, convenience stores and supermarkets or from florists if they happen to pass one. With just a few bunches of roses left to buy, some left unhappy, either purchasing whatever bouquet they could or leaving with nothing and seeking what they wished for elsewhere. A couple took the chance on one of the remaining ikebana displays or a teddy bear, one or two wished to blame others for their lack and complained angrily at the two omega's for the limited availability of stock at that late hour. Fortunately, Hideaki was there to quell those people as well. When the shop's metal shutters finally descended for the night and after Hideaki and Eiko with Akahito bid Jun goodbye, Shaheed had left a couple of hours earlier, Jun finally entered the apartment and collapsed on the sofa with an oomph. Barely, had his weary body began to relax when he was reminded of something. "Mummy," Kei tugged his shirt a couple of times. "What's for dinner?" Jun shifted his head sideways and smiled at his son as he thought for a moment, his expression fell from his face in the next. "Oh my god!" He exclaimed. "I invited your father for dinner!" Naturally Kei was happy to here this and jumped up and down to express this, while a horrified Jun realised that he had forgotten to purchase chocolates. His cheeks reddened and then paled and reddened again. It was embarrassing to admit that he had hinted he might buy a valentine's gift for Kazuhiko for a valentine's gift was expressing that you liked someone and this man who wanted a gift from him happened to be his son's father. But they'd only been dating a little while... but it's not like they weren't physically compatible... but did he like him on that level too? But, Kazuhiko would be disappointed if there was no gift... and disappointing him was... His mood sank lower and he bit his lip worrying over it for a moment more, before realising he had a bigger problem. What should he cook for dinner? There was only an hour left until Kazuhiko was due to arrive, the living room was a mess of Kei's toys, there was an array of coffee and tea cups decorating his dining table and the plates from lunch time in the sink. He pushed himself off of the sofa, praying for a bout of energy to help him through this evening. Glancing through the fridge, he spied a few ingredients that lifted his spirits and a smile returned to his face. "Okay, Kei," he called out to his bouncy child. "We can do this, but mummy will need your help, okay?" Kei paused mid dance move and nodded seriously. "Could you start by tidying away your toys, while mummy cleans the kitchen? Then Kei can help make dessert." "Dessert, really?" Kei's eyes began to twinkle. Dessert on a Friday was unheard of, amazing, his mouth began to water in expectation. "Really, really!" Jun laughed and encouraged him to tidy first. Parent and child moved quickly, cleaning and tidying, preparing and cooking and with just five minutes to spare, Jun had dessert setting in the fridge and a pot of bolognaise sauce simmering on the stove. "Phew," they exclaimed together and fell upon the sofa once more, giggling. Jun tickled the imitating child for a few seconds, before noticing chocolate stains on the boy's top and red stains on his own. "Oops, looks like we need to clean up ourselves too," Jun mentioned and ushered them into the bathroom for a quick strip wash. No sooner had he fastened the last button on a fresh shirt did the doorbell ring. Kei burst out of his room, his T-shirt on backwards which Jun chided him softly for, making him fix it, while he went to answer the door. Kazuhiko stood on the other side, his blond hair drifting across his deep brown eyes due to a gentle gust of cold air. In his arms he held a bottle of wine and a wrapped up bundle of infant. Jun's heart skipped a beat for a moment and a smile came unbidden to his face as he invited them in. "Daddy!" Kei grabbed the man the moment his leg passed the threshold of the apartment. "Hey, how's my number one Guardian?" Kazuhiko greeted him. "In fighting form, having saved the realm once again!" Kei cheered, stretching his arms upward. Kazuhiko rubbed the top of his head, causing the child to beam, before he pulled his father into the living room. Jun took Kou from his arms so that he could remove his coat and shoes and the bottle of wine was placed on the centre of the table. "I helped make dessert!" "You did! That's amazing!" Kazuhiko praised him. Jun felt a little embarrassed about what constituted as dessert. "It's just chocolate dipped strawberries," he murmured as he unzipped Kou's pram-suit. "I didn't get a chance to purchase chocolates," he confessed, "so I hope the strawberries are an okay substitute!" Kazuhiko looked startled for a moment, he had admittedly hoped for Valentine's chocolate, but the fact he'd worried Jun over it... his lips stretched into a broad smile and his eyes curved. "Better than okay," he told Jun with feeling. "What could be better than dessert made by two of my favourite people?" Jun's cheeks immediately reddened. Dinner was a warm affair, both children made a mess of their spaghetti noodles and sauce, Kou's face was more sauce than baby by the end and his noodles were an abstract art piece upon his dinner tray. Kei told his daddy all about Shaheed and how their guardians saved the world from alien dinosaurs who had descended onto the city and crushed cars beneath their feet. Jun indulged in a glass of wine and felt the heady rush of alcohol relax him and heat his skin. While Kazuhiko could not remove the broad smile that had decorated his handsome face from beginning to end and impossibly his lips stretched further as he was presented with the dessert. He teased Jun's lips with the tip of a strawberry, who feeling emboldened by the flush of wine, parted them and bit into the sweetened fruit. Kazuhiko's pupils dilated and certain parts of his body awakened, but his smile did not falter. Kou fell asleep part way through dessert, his face now covered in chocolate, replacing the cleaned off sauce from earlier. Kei was still brimming with energy and was reluctant for his daddy to leave early. So the men put the baby into the travel cot that Eiko had left behind, to sleep in Kei's room, before pouring their attentions on the older child until he too began to succumb to tiredness. Kazuhiko took the honours of bathing his older son for the first time and reading him a bedtime story, while Jun cleared the dining table and kitchen. And then it was the two of them, alone in the living room and Jun suddenly felt shy. Before their dates were outside, amongst other people, though Kazuhiko had come to the apartment to visit Kei a couple of times, the two men had not been alone together since... Kazuhiko was also recalling this and took Jun's hands into his own. "This is probably forward of me to ask," he said to his omega, "but can I stay for the night? Nothing has to happen if you do not want it to." Jun hesitated for a moment, his cheeks once more filled with colour, but found himself nodding to Kazuhiko's request. If he was honest with himself, he did not want Kazuhiko leaving yet either. Jun took a shower first, before handing Kazuhiko a towel and spare boxers, that would likely be a little tight but were a bit too big for Jun, who had purchased them by mistake once. There were no T-shirts or pyjama's he could offer Kazuhiko, Jun's frame was smaller by a couple of chest sizes and his legs were not as long. So, although Jun was covered in clothes meant for sleeping, he was very aware of the uncovered flesh of the man lying beside him that night.