why else love if not to feel
stars exploding in our veins?
MIZUKI STAYED IN THE hospital for another five days, the doctor and nurses making sure she and the babies were okay until finally dismissing them.
"Here, I got it."
Kuroo opened the door, Akaashi helping their fiancé into their apartment. In Bokuto's arms were the twins, his hands gripping the bars for the car seats they had bought a few months ago. Between you and I, the soulmate penta had four more in the nursery. Why? Who even knows. Mizuki said, and I quote, "we must be prepared for everything."
"I'll take them to the nursery," Bokuto announced, walking to their guest room turned nursery with Kenma trailing behind, both baby bags slung on his shoulder. He hated carrying the heavy weight, but for his kids, he'd do anything.
A smile spread across the duo's face, stepping into the nursery Mizuki spent hours on. She took it upon herself to design it, making sure her babies only had the best. The four walls were painted a very light shade of blue, more on the white side in Bokuto's eyes. The corner by the baby beds had a large plant growing out, its branches stretching across the wall, painted absolutely exquisitely, leaves moving across the three upper corners. Laying along the roots were two cats, one coloured black with a very familiar hairstyle and one coloured yellow and brown, mingling with each other.
On the branches were two owls, one coloured a grey and white colour, snuggled up against a black coloured one. The cats and owls represented them, their marks upon their soulmates' body. Mizuki had surprised them with the painting, and yes, the boys did cry upon seeing the animals. She hadn't let her soulmates in the room while she was working on it, and she spent a good few weeks on it.
The tree, she had said, represented Tooru and Hajime from their days in Aoba Johsai. On the right of the wall were birds painted among clouds. There were six crows — Karasuno, three eagles — Shiratorizawa, and one seagull — Kamomedai High. Opposite the cats were two foxes, representing Inarizaki. Oh, and Bokuto couldn't forget the alien and UFO Oikawa forced Mizuki to paint on the other corner of the wall. Each being on the wall was meant to surround their twins with their families, with the bonds the soulmate penta had developed thanks to volleyball.
Least to say, their friends cried at the sight.
Mizuki truly cared for them. She let them into her heart, let them be a part of her future, and she wasn't going to let them go anytime soon. Not when they had such a huge impact on her life.
"Welcome home, kids," Bokuto whispered, placing the car seats on the changing table they had placed alongside a wall. The twins' cribs were by the tree, twin moon lights hanging down, a device attached along the top that moved the stars, that were also hanging, and the moon around in circular motions. It was meant to help the babies sleep at night, and Mizuki had included the musical recording that she would play for the twins while they were in her womb.
Haruto and Hiroto were both fast asleep, eyes shut and mouths instinctively sucking on the pacifiers they bought. Of course, one was an owl, Haruto's, and the other was a cat, Hiroto's. Bokuto unbuckled the straps nestled securely around their bodies.
"Can you help me put them to bed?" he asked Kenma, who nodded, placing the bags by the drawer cabinet which held all of the babies' stuff.
"Why are there so many toys?" huffed Kenma, kicking one of the stuffed toys away from the floor and into their corner where a huge pile sat, made up of owls, crows, bears, cats, foxes, aliens, dinosaurs, volleyballs, chocolate bars, even an onigiri. Beside the pile was a large, floor to ceiling library filled with children books Akira and Talia purchased for them. (They didn't need that much, but their extended family went overboard. The boys now knew where Mizuki got it from).
"Who even knows."
They swaddled the twins in a blanket, both of them doing so with ease after attending so many classes. (Mizuki threatened to not let them near the babies if they didn't attend at least 30 classes).
They put the twins in their crib, placing a gentle kiss on their foreheads, before flicking the lights off and letting them rest.
"Oh!" exclaimed Bokuto in a whisper. "We have to switch on the baby monitor."
He tiptoed across the room, switching on the two cameras they had installed, each showing them a view of their sleeping children. The screen was in their room, allowing the soulmates to watch and make sure Haruto and Hiroto were okay during the night.
Koutarou closed the door with a smile, glancing at their boys one last time.
The two headed to their bedroom, spotting Mizuki curled under the blankets, Akaashi hugging her from behind, laying his chin on her head and drawing her closer to his chest, careful not to touch the wounds on her lower stomach. Kuroo was sat on her other side, leaning against the headboard, his reading glasses propped on the bridge of his nose, a book opened in his hand.
"Are they asleep?" he asked once Bokuto and Kenma entered.
They nodded, changing out of their clothes, doing the night routine before joining their soulmates in bed. Kenma plopped on top of Kuroo, the latter grunting at the added weight. He laughed, placing the book down, shifting under Kenma and wrapping his arms around him. Bokuto nestled beside him, exhausted. All the excitement wore him out.
"I feel like I can sleep for a week," he said.
"Told you," sang Akaashi sleepily, eyes shut.
Soft laughter, shared between four soulmates, all in love with one another, wholly, completely. The moon watched them, tenderly, fondly, glowing amongst the dark night sky. She wept happily.
Oh, how time had passed.
"This won't happen. I apologise, but I see no future in which the five of us are together."
Amusement sparkled among the stars. If only you knew how wrong you were, child.
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
Taking care of babies was much different from taking care of dolls. That was one thing the soulmate penta noticed. Whilst Mizuki eased into the new routine, Kuroo, Kenma, Bokuto, and Akaashi struggled quite a bit. They fumbled and stuttered every time the twins cried, panicking even more when the other twin would follow, the two sobbing profusely.
Mizuki sighed, watching from the chair in the nursery as her fiances tried desperately to soothe the crying twins.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Don't cry!"
They cried more.
"Kou," Mizuki started, standing up. "Yelling will make them cry more." She walked over, holding her hands out. "Pass him to me."
Bokuto gently handed Hiroto over, Mizuki taking him in her arms, making sure to support his head with one hand, placing him on the crook of her neck.
"There, there," she cooed, gently rocking Hiroto back and forth, his cries diminishing at the familiar comfort of his mother. He reached a tiny hand out, miniature fingers wrapping around Mizuki's shirt. Her lips quirked upwards, leaning down and placing a kiss on his forehead.
Bokuto watched her in awe, an unexplainable warmth erupting in his chest.
Mizuki's eyes fluttered upwards, noticing the surge of emotions through their bond. Her cheeks flushed a flowery pink colour, a response to the two pair of golden eyes staring unblinkingly at her.
"W-What?" she questioned shyly.
Kenma looked at her and smiled, and it seemed the whole world for an instant concentrated on just him and her.
"You're so perfect."
Her heart stammered in her chest.
She gave her whole heart to make a place for it to happen, evidence of a love that transcends hunger, transcends desire, transcends jealousy, anger, envy. Was it too much to expect? That she would name the stars for them?
You've read the depth of my mind.
You know how it's going to end.