Genre: Slow-burn | Slice-of-life | Soft domestic romance
Pairing: K (single dad) × Fuma (Taki's teacher)
Starring: Taki, grade: chaos & blunt honesty

🧸 The Setup

K didn't plan to become a dad at 23.
But life has a sense of humor. And Taki has his father's sarcasm—and someone else's glitter obsession.

Now at 29, K's figured it out:
He works hard. He keeps quiet. He shows up for his son, even when he's running on three hours of sleep and caffeine with trust issues.

And everything was fine until Mr. Fuma entered the picture.

Taki's new teacher.

Too nice. Too patient. Wears cardigans. Smells like tea and optimism.

Suspicious.

📚 Scene: First Parent-Teacher Meeting

Fuma greets K with a warm smile.

"Taki's clever. Quick. A little... blunt."

K sighs. "He called the lunch monitor a 'walking traffic cone.'"

"He did," Fuma laughs. "But he also wrote a poem about how much he loves dinosaurs and 'his grumpy dad who makes the best noodles.' So I'm not too worried."

K tries not to melt.

Fails a little.

Fuma notices. Doesn't say anything. Just offers a second cup of tea.

🥡 Scene: The Slow Shift

One day, Taki forgets his lunch.

K rushes in, hair a mess, apologizing under his breath. Fuma's class is quiet during reading time, so he helps Taki unpack it, softly narrating the snacks like it's a magic trick.

K watches from the door.

And something in his chest clenches at the way Taki looks at Fuma—calm. Focused. Safe.

Later that night, Taki pokes K's arm.

"You like him."

"Who?"

"The teacher with the soft voice. You looked at him like you look at noodles."

K groans into a pillow.

📝 Scene: A Note

A folded paper comes home in Taki's backpack.

It's not from school.

It's a note from Fuma, in careful handwriting.

"I'm not sure if this is allowed. But if you'd ever want to talk outside of report cards... I make good coffee. And worse jokes."

K stares at it for five minutes.

Then he texts: "I like bad jokes. When?"

Taki gets full marks on his poetry assignment next week.

The title?

"My Dad's Smile is Softer Now (And I Think It's Mr. Fuma's Fault)."

🧸 Scene: The Unauthorized Sleepover

Setting: Friday night.
K walks into the living room holding takeout and two pairs of socks. One pair is not his.

"Taki. Why are there unfamiliar adult shoes by the door."

"Don't be mad."

K freezes. That tone.

"Taki."

"Mr. Fuma's here."

"...Why."

Fuma appears sheepishly from the kitchen, holding a mug and wearing a hoodie K definitely forgot he loaned him during a rainy pick-up day last month.

"He said you wouldn't mind."

"He also said pizza was a vegetable once."

Taki: "Technically it is if you count tomatoes—"

K: "You invited your teacher to sleep over."

"I brought a sleeping bag?" Fuma offers, completely useless.

They end up on the couch, watching cartoons with popcorn.

Fuma tells a story. Taki falls asleep with his head on K's shoulder and one sock on sideways.

K turns to Fuma.

"You know, I should be mad."

Fuma smiles. Quiet, soft.

"I know."

K doesn't say it out loud.

But he's not. Not even a little.

🎂 Future Epilogue: "Second Dad's Birthday"

Setting: Five years later.
Taki is 13. Taller, mouthier, still smarter than everyone.

K and Fuma are standing in a bakery, mid-argument.

K: "No lemon. He hates lemon."

Fuma: "He said he hates cake. If we're already lying to him with fondant, we might as well go citrus."

Taki walks in behind them with sunglasses and a milk tea.

"You both realize I can hear you, right?"

They both freeze.

Fuma: "You said you were staying in the car."

Taki: "You two were bickering about cake like it was a state secret."

K crosses his arms. "You shouldn't call it a birthday if you hate cake."

Taki: "Then don't call it a party if you're both pretending not to cry when I say 'second dad.'"

They both fall silent.

Taki grins and pulls out a notebook.

"Anyway, I already ordered a chocolate one online. We're doing a surprise picnic. I also made a playlist. It's called Kinda Mushy but Mostly Cool."

"Oh," Fuma whispers.

K sniffs. "Still should've gone with vanilla."

💬 Final Line:

The cake ends up chocolate.
The candles get blown out with one wish that no one speaks out loud—

Because they already have everything they never thought they'd get to keep.