Toji's kept busy planning Megumi's birthday in two weeks. He's had his present for months- they're going to take a weekend trip to Disneyland the next long weekend. He figures he should bring cupcakes into school, since it's what he always does for Tsumiki and he doesn't want to rock the sibling boat. He also knows he should email Y/N about it, because that's only polite.

Which is why he's been staring at a blank email for 10 minutes.

He's tried to start it four separate times, but he only ever manages something that looks like this:

Hey.

I'm bringing cupcakes to school for Megumi's birthday. It's on the 22th.

Toji.

He accidentally hits send around identical version 6 and spends a couple of seconds muttering "fuck" under his breath, but eventually shrugs it off. All the important information is in there, anyway.

30 minutes later, he has a response from Y/N:

Hi!

Awesome! Who doesn't love cupcakes? I certainly do, and everyone knows what a connoisseur I am. We're surprisingly allergy free this year, only a couple of nut issues, so just stay away from peanut butter and you should be epi pen free. There are 14 kids in the class, including Megumi, plus you and me (and I usually can't stop at just one cupcake- can you? So maybe bring at least 17 : ) right?)

See you then!

Y/N

Toji stares at the screen, because he really can't believe that Y/N sent him an email with a smiley face in it, but there it is.

When he goes to the bakery, he orders two dozen and figures he can take one home for Tsumiki and give the rest to you, since Y/N apparently like cupcakes so much. The baker seems delighted with the order- Toji googled for about two seconds before finding cupcakes Megumi would go crazy over and he brings her the pictures he definitely printed out on his work printer. They're dinosaur themed, because apparently Y/N taught them about fossils and Megumi's been obsessed ever since. Toji has probably read Dinotopia to Megumi upwards of twelve times. The baker is probably just excited because they're going to cost an arm and a leg- he can't believe he's spending this much money on cupcakes- but it's not like Toji can bake, so, what can he do, really.

Megumi literally wakes up singing on his birthday- some strange, warbling thing about being king of the dinosaurs and birthdays and riding hippogryffs. Toji has firmly acknowledged he's never going to understand either of his kids. Ever. But he can't stop smiling and chuckling under his breath, because Megumi is obviously delirious with joy that he's six and for the next three months, will be only two years younger than Tsumiki, not three. Toji makes eggos with ice cream for breakfast- which is firmly a 'birthdays-only' event- and by the time he has Tsumiki and Megumi in the car they're both little balls of sugar-high goodwill toward person.

"Bye, Dad, enjoy my birthday!" Megumi yells as Toji drives away to go pick up the cupcakes. The cupcakes are theoretically a surprise, but who knows, Tsumiki might have told Megumi. Secrets aren't exactly Tsumiki's strong suit- it's a good thing as a parent that Tsumiki is utterly, sadly incapable of lying, but it's going to make her teenage years really embarrassing for both of them.

The cupcakes are ridiculously adorable- he's enough of a man to admit that. There's even one with a little pterodactyl, wings open around a "6" that is specifically for Megumi. Toji's feeling pretty smug when he signs in at the office and the entire staff comes over to coo over the cupcakes- Megumi and Y/N are going to flip.

Megumi does flip- he had no idea Toji was coming and the cupcakes send him into an almost catatonic state of joy. The other kids are shrieking with joy and Y/N carefully deals out cupcakes, with strict instructions not to eat them until everyone has one and they've sung happy birthday.

"Dude, these are so freaking cute, I'm dying," Y/N says, as they set up two lines of pick up. Y/N is grinning, turning them this way and that, checking them out, before handing them over to the kids.

"Dad," Megumi breathes out as he stares at all of them, the little brontosaurus heads peeking up out of frosting water and the tiny triceratops, and flings his arms around Toji's stomach in a bone-crushing hug. "Dad, you're the best, oh my god,"

He has to pick Megumi up and bear hug him until Megumi whines that he has to get down and eat cupcakes.

Y/N is smiling that little smile that Toji thinks of as his private smile as he hands out cupcakes and Toji is so distracted trying to figure out why he almost gives two cupcakes to a little girl with blond pigtails.

While the kids are eating, Toji puts a cupcake aside for Tsumiki in an empty box and consolidates the rest. "Those ones are for you," he explains, pushing the box toward Y/N.

Y/N blinks. "That's like, nine cupcakes, are you serious?" she asks.

Toji shrugs. "Having them at home would be absolute idiocy. You look like you could use a cupcake, anyway." Y/N isn't gawky, but that's by a hair and pretty much due to his surprisingly muscled forearms.

"Well, maybe two. Or three. But I'm going to go into a diabetic coma if you don't take at least one of these off my hands, right now," Y/N says, and before Toji realizes what he's doing, takes Toji's hand, and puts a cupcake in the palm of it. The little blue tyrannosaurus bares its sugar teeth at him.

Y/N just waggles her eyebrows at Toji, plucking the stegosaurus off of his own cupcake and eating him whole. "Do it for the kids, Toji," Y/N says, mouth full of orange fondant.

Toji snorts and deposits the tyrannosaur back in Y/N's box unscathed, before peeling down the wrapper and taking a bite of the actual cupcake. It's not bad- a little too sugary for her tastes, but probably perfect for kids, who seem to have one giant sugar taste bud, anyway.

"No crunching the bones of your enemies?" Y/N teases. Toji rolls his eyes. "Fine, fine, even so, I'll show you the single greatest trick in the world." Y/N peels the cupcake free, rips the cake part in half and makes it into a little sandwich before taking a giant bite.

"Oh my god, that's so cool," one of the kids yells, and Y/N sparks a cupcake eating revolution.

"You're welcome," Y/N says, licking frosting off her fingers. When she's done, she raises her eyebrows at Toji. "Aren't you going to finish yours?"

Toji had forgotten he was holding a cupcake.

He tries Y/N' method and it actually seems less sweet that way, which is good. Y/N is staring at him, though.

"What?" Toji asks.

Y/N starts. "You have uh, um, a smudge. Of icing on your-" Y/N gestures with her thumb at the corner of his mouth, which is open just a little.

Toji rubs at the spot, coming up with a smudge of green icing. "Is that all of it?"

"Um, sort of, maybe just-" Y/N raises a hand like she's going to wipe it off herself but stops at the last second. "Just um, wipe again."

Toji tries again and Y/N finally relaxes.

"Yep, you got it." Y/N says. She glances around the room where, of course, the kids are playing with the dinosaurs and eating their cupcakes at the same time. "Thanks again for bringing these in, the kids are loving it."

"Megumi's first school birthday," Toji explains. "I had to make a big deal."

"Well, I'm glad you did," Y/N steals Toji's tyrannosaur and eats him.

***

Megumi bursts out crying at dinner that night when Toji tells him they're going to Disneyland.

"We should have taped this," Tsumiki says, grinning. "And put it on YouTube."

***

The trip is a resounding success- the kids get up early every day and pass out equally early from joyful exhaustion. Toji watches a lot of ESPN Classic on mute. Megumi insists on getting Y/N a pair of mouse ears, which Toji doesn't object to- the idea of Y/N wearing them makes Toji snort. There's not even the "I don't want to leave" meltdown Toji half expected- probably because the kids want to take the loot, run, and brag to everyone at home. The second they're out of the car, Megumi runs next door to give Jin his stuffed Piglet. The next day, Megumi has the Mickey ears in his hands like he's holding a baby, the whole car ride to school.

They must be a success, because he gets an email halfway through the day:

Hey!

Thanks for the ears- as you can see, they were put to use right away!

Y/N

Attached is a picture of Y/N in the ears, reading Winnie the Pooh to the entranced students.

"I think I just got a cavity," Anna says, leaning over his shoulder. "Also, god, is that Megumi in the front? He's getting huge, you have to bring him by some day."

It is an unbearably cute picture.

Of Megumi.

***

The fall weather is shaping up nasty- this is the fourth major thunderstorm in as many weeks. Toji guesses he's lucky that Megumi likes thunderstorms and Tsumiki is indifferent; he knows a lot of kids are scared of them. As it is, it's hard to sleep with the wind howling around the house. It's raining off and on all week, which makes kiss and ride a very damp endeavor. Hopefully this morning will stick to faint, misty rain.

He pulls up to the curb, ready to unlock the doors when he realizes Y/N is running kiss and ride this morning.

"Hey!" Y/N says cheerfully, which is when the skies open up and rain pours down.

"Whoa," Tsumiki breathes out, in surprise.

"Climb into the backseat," Toji tells her, and the second Tsumiki is done clambering back, Toji reaches over and throws the door open. "Get in before you're drenched!"

It's too late- Y/N is pulling off her blouse, which is absolutely soaked, leaving her in a t-shirt that's just wet.

"Thanks," Y/N gasps, glancing over at Toji.

It hits Toji like a ton of bricks.

Y/N' cheeks are flushed from cold and her mouth is just a little open and so red. Her shirt is clinging to her chest, the v of the collar dragged down by the weight of the water, so far that Y/N's collarbone is visible on one side. Y/N can see the surprising definition in her chest and stomach- hugging the shape of her body, the curve of her shoulders. There's a thread of water running down Y/N' neck, and Toji wants to put his mouth all. over. Y/N's body.

"Daaaaad, can we go to school now?" Megumi whines and Toji abruptly remembers his kids are in the car and having an erection is extremely inappropriate.

"It looks like it's dying down," Y/N says, looking out the window. She cranes her head into the backseat, which puts the delicate looking skin under her jaw right in Toji's face. Toji wants to bite it. "Okay, you have your raincoats on? Let's go guys!"

The kids run out yelling happily, enjoying the storm, and Y/N gets out, only to duck her head back in to grab her blouse.

"Thanks for the shelter!" she chirps.

Y/N is close enough to kiss.

But then the car door is slamming shut and people are suddenly honking behind her.

Toji peels out of the parking lot in a hurry, but he pulls over a few streets away and takes a deep breath.

"Fuck," Toji breathes out, because he can still smell rainwater and Y/N' scent all through the car. This is phenomenally, overwhelmingly stupid. Toji wants Y/N, yes, but thinking about Y/N- in his kitchen cooking with Megumi, washing the dishes with him, wearing those stupid mouse ears- makes Toji realize he doesn't just want Y/N- he wants to be with Y/N.

"Fuck."